Veterans are 7% of the population, it should come as no surprise that the drug war has had a particularly destructive effect on their lives, their families and their futures.  The Drug War is a war on our own people, especially minorities, of which the Veteran population is.  It’s time to end the Drug War, the war on people and reverse the destructive effects it has had on all people, but especially those groups who are on the fringes of politics and power.

“There is evidence that some police departments, particularly state police and drug task forces in the American interior, target motorists with out-of-state plates in the hopes of finding drug proceeds and other unexplained cash.Cash-driven interdiction is the result of asset forfeiture laws that allow police departments to keep the proceeds of assets seized in connection with suspected crimes. This “policing for profit” puts budgetary concerns above public safety.”

“In short, the laws and tactics employed to fight the Drug War have transformed police officers from those who protect and serve to a force that, too often, actively searches the innocent and seizes for profit. Aggressive and antagonistic policing also increases the likelihood of disagreement, thereby increasing the possibility of escalation and the use of force that could lead to the injury or death of an innocent person. But the effects of aggressive policing extend beyond the outcome of any given police stop.”

The War on Drugs Has Made Policing More Violent