Statistics from the War on Drugs

From the January 2002 issue

All dollar amounts are unadjusted for inflation.

1914 Year the federal government first outlawed narcotics

1937 Year federal government outlawed marijuana

1966 Year federal government outlawed LSD

1986 Year federal government outlawed Ecstasy (MDMA)

75 Millions of dollars the DEA spent in 1973, the year of its birth

1.5 Billions of dollars the DEA spent in 2000

2,898 Number of people the DEA employed in 1973

9,132 Number of people the DEA employed in 2000

226,304 Number of state and local officers the DEA trained for the drug war from 1991 through 1999

1988 Year the White House Office on National Drug Control Policy was established

6.3 Percentage of U.S. population 12 years and older who reported using "illicit" drugs within the past month in 2000

59 Percentage of past-month drug users who only smoked pot

0.1 Percentage of population ages 12 and over who smoked crack within the past month

0.1 Percentage of population ages 12 and over who used heroin within the past month