Former GOP state house Rep. Toby Nixon (he was from Kirkland and the 45th legislative district) gets today's "Comment of the Day" for outlining the costs of the drug war.

Hit it Toby:

2. Toby Nixon says:

You can’t stop the calculation at just the savings on incarceration. Consider the young people who are blocked from getting student loans because of drug possession convictions, who spend the rest of their lives in jobs below their level of capability and productivity; who can’t get housing, who end up on public assistance, etc., because they used a drug that is far less dangerous (from a medical standpoint) than alcohol. Consider all the money spent on drug law enforcement other than incarceration. Think of all the collateral damage from drug prohibition — the turf wars among drug dealers, gangs, and organizations. Think of the intrusion on our personal liberties — limitations on cash transfers, no-knock warrants, having to provide photo ID to get cold medicine, aircraft surveillance for heat signatures, etc. Think of the impact of ridiculous civil asset forfeiture laws on innocent property owners. Think of the waste of natural resources and the environmental impacts because we’re restricted from using hemp for all of its various uses and forced to use trees or other less appropriate alternatives. Think of the environmental impacts and danger to visitors because marijuana ends up being cultivated on public land instead of on private farmland. Think of the danger to our families because drugs are being manufacturered in private homes instead of industrial areas. I could go on and on.

The cost to society of drug prohibition is far more than just the cost of incarceration, and many of these costs do impact on government budgets, directly or indirectly.

11/30/2009 at 3:36 pm

Nixon, who works at Microsoft, lost his seat—now held by Democrat (and drug law reform advocate) Roger Goodman, when he ran for the state senate in 2006. Democrat Eric Oemig beat Nixon in that race and is currently the state senator from the 45th