Evan Wood : Conservatives concerned by spending ignore cost of failed war on drugs . $ 2.5 trillion spent on war on drugs ; crime , violence , drug use are the result , he says . In addition to both the racial and budgetary implications of this failed experiment , sociologists and criminologists are decrying the intergenerational effects of these policies on low-income families , as children left behind by incarcerated parents turn to gangs and the cycle continues . Comment: Americans more likely to report marijuana use than people in Netherlands , he says , where it 's legal .
Evan Wood : Conservatives concerned by spending ignore cost of failed war on drugs . $ 2.5 trillion spent on war on drugs ; crime , violence , drug use are the result , he says . Comment: Americans more likely to report marijuana use than people in Netherlands , he says , where it 's legal .