There is no shortage of criminals interested in competing in a market in which hundredfold increases in price from production to retail are not uncommon. " (p.56) meaning that even though the U.S. created a war to fight the criminals, they unintendedly created a criminal job market. It is believed that the more stringent control on drugs, the more crime rates will rise. The reason being is that the penalties for simple drug possession in an amount for personal use is too harsh, causing nonviolent criminals to be imprisoned while hard felony criminals are being released early in order to make space for those arrested for minor drug charges. "I believe a lot of police officers feel the same way I do when we have to take someone in just for having a little baggy of dope, I don't think it is right and it's wasting a lot of our time and money chasing nonviolent criminals while other criminals roam the streets. " YPD officer Cortez (2014). "Because relatively few illicit drug offenders commit violent and property crimes and because criminal activity more often precedes drug use than vice versa, targeting drugs is an inefficient strategy for combating nondrug crime " Benson, Rasmussen (1996). The government needs to open their eyes and look at the bigger picture, they need to realize what's really going on and what we can do to control it. .
The market for drugs is demand-led and millions of people demand illegal drugs with the United States being the most drug hungry countries around the world. The opportunity created by the collision of prohibition and high demand has been seized by organized crime with ruthless efficiency, and at devastating cost. "Indeed, the illicit trade is one of the biggest revenue generators for organized crime worldwide. It has spawned a range of other criminal activities, including international money laundering and widespread corruption. The untaxed profits are also often reinvested in expanding criminal operations in other areas such as extortion, kidnapping and robbery " Steve Rolles (2012).