In the United States, drug-related crimes continue to be a problem. Each year the numbers are astronomical for drug abuse violations and arrests. Arrests are up around the 2 million mark and include various violations.
Violations include possession, sale and manufacturing of a drug. The largest percentage of violations was for possession of a controlled substance, which constituted 81.9 percent. That left 18.1 percent of the violations for the sale or manufacturing of a drug.
The DEA has made an impact in drug use among teens over the last decade, even though drug violations seem out of control. In the last ten years there has been a 15 percent decline in teen drug use, including marijuana, methamphetamine, ecstasy, cocaine and steroids.
Even with teen use numbers declining, there are still an estimated 1,100 homicides per year. This being an election year, there are all kinds of topics being discussed, including the talks about a possible end to the prohibition of marijuana in the U.S. As a nation, we spend $40 billion per year both on U.S. soil and abroad on our war on drugs. Currently there are up to 400,000 people imprisoned on drug related charges – most of which are non-violent offenders.
Violent crime can be different from city to city in Arizona, as with most of the country. The city of Chandler had a total of six murders in 2010, which was up from 5 in 2009. Yet in the city of Phoenix, just a few miles away, there were 117 murders reported. But not all reporting is done the same from city to city so knowing complete and accurate numbers may just not be possible.
