Drug War Costs in Colorado and the U.S.

Every time a law enforcement officer responds to a call, issues a ticket, or arrests an individual for drug use, there is a cost to both that individual and the community as a whole. In most incidences, there is no violence or otherwise criminal activity involved, other than the individual’s possession of an illicit drug.

In 1999, there were 16, 761 adult drug arrests in Colorado. Eighty-eight percent of arrests were for drug possession—50% for possession of marijuana.¹
In 2002, law enforcement reported 9,498 violations for marijuana possession, 2,764 of those were in Denver County.²
In 2003, there were 755,187 arrests for marijuana offenses in the United States, an 8% increase from 2002.³
At present, cultivation of even one marijuana plant is a felony in Colorado.

We support an examination and subsequent reform of our current drug policy to fund prevention, treatment, and harm reduction programs which have proven more cost-effective than incarceration and law enforcement intervention in reducing the harm associated with drug use.

Why change the policy?

Eighty-three percent of Colorado voters believe that we are losing the war on drugs. The majority of voters believe the war on drugs has been ineffective in reducing drug use and supply in Colorado. These results were consistent across all demographic categories.⁴

Eighty-eight percent of voters believe that we will never be able to stop drugs from coming into this country until demand is reduced. A similarly high 85% believe that the current war on drugs is dealing with symptoms of drug abuse but failing to solve the underlying causes.⁵

When an individual is incarcerated for a drug-related offense, the costs increase exponentially. These costs include the extension of law enforcement resources and the overburdening of the judicial system, the prison system, and the public assistance programs, via the financial toll absorbed by the families of the incarcerated, many of which include children who are now without an income-providing parent.

In 2003, 10,191 drug cases were filed statewide (24.7% of all cases). In Denver, drug cases constituted 41% of cases filed in 2003.
As of June 30, 2002, there were 3,691 people in prison for a drug offense [in Colorado]. This costs taxpayers over $101 million dollars per year. Approximately 50% were convicted of simple possession.⁶
The average cost to house an inmate for one year in Colorado is $27,000.
There are an estimated 15,500 children in Colorado who currently have a parent in prison. This estimate does not account for the children who have parents serving time in county jails.⁷

We support education of the public to call attention to the direct and the collateral costs of incarcerating non-violent drug users, both to the individuals and their families and to all Colorado taxpayers.

Notes

(1) Colorado Bureau of Investigation, 1999 State Adult Drug Arrests. As cited in Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition Colorado Prison Facts 2004. http://www.ccjrc.org/pdf/Fact%20Sheets_All.pdf.

(2) U.S. Department of Justice. Federal Bureau of Investigation as cited in Uniform Crime Reports County Data at http://fisher.lib.virginia.edu/collections/stats/crime/.

(3) Federal Bureau of Investigation. Uniform Crime Report. 2003. http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/ucr.htm.

(4) Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition Survey on Drug Abuse and Drug Policy. http://www.ccjrc.org/pdf/SurveyResults.pdf.

(5) Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition Survey on Drug Abuse and Drug Policy. http://www.ccjrc.org/pdf/SurveyResults.pdf.

(6) Colorado Department of Corrections. 2002, Statistical Report for Fiscal Year 2002 by Kristi Rosten. (2003). 70. Colorado Department of Corrections. 2001, “Profile of Drug Offenders in Colorado Department of Corrections.” As cited in Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition Colorado Prison Facts 2004. http://www.ccjrc.org/pdf/Fact%20Sheets_All.pdf .

(7) Bosley, B., Donner, C., McLean, C., and Toomey-Hale, E. (Eds.)(2002). Parenting from Prison- A Resourced Guide for Parents Incarcerated in Colorado. Parenting from Prison Guide Committee. Denver, Colorado.