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posted by azrael on Friday July 11 2014, @02:27PM   Printer-friendly
from the time-to-rethink dept.

A report at Alternet gives some context to the amount spent by the U.S. on its drug policy.

  • 1,100 - The number of Americans that die each year due to violent crime caused by the drug war
  • $51 billion - The amount that the U.S. government spends each year on the war on drugs
  • 61 percent - The percentage of individuals targeted by drug-related SWAT raids who are people of color
  • 82 percent - The number of Americans who believe that the government is losing the War on Drugs
  • 18 months - The age of Bounkham "Bou Bou" Phonesavanh, a recent American casualty of the drug war

The article goes into further details on the number, including:

On May 28, a team of police officers raided the Phonesavanh's home, with the mistaken belief that the residents were involved with drugs. As they entered, they tossed a flashbang grenade that landed directly in the crib of baby Bou Bou, which exploded within point-blank range - critically injuring him.

In a harrowing article, his mother, Alecia, described seeing "a singed crib" and "a pool of blood", and later being informed by medics: "There's still a hole in his chest that exposes his ribs". Alecia said that the sole silver lining to this story is that it may "make us angry enough that we stop accepting brutal SWAT raids as a normal way to fight the war on drugs".

Fortunately, Bou Bou has been making a gradual recovery, but his family is relying on donations to support their living and medical costs.

 
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  • (Score: 2) by Sir Garlon on Friday July 11 2014, @07:59PM

    by Sir Garlon (1264) on Friday July 11 2014, @07:59PM (#67790)

    Actually, TFA does say those 1,100 deaths were due to drug violence. Your link says 607 people were killed by police. Whoever modded you informative must not have read either TFA or the first sentence of the link you posted.

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  • (Score: 1) by bziman on Friday July 11 2014, @08:57PM

    by bziman (3577) on Friday July 11 2014, @08:57PM (#67835)

    Sorry... mistyped... I was thinking "casualties" which includes wounded, but inexplicably typed "killed". My bad.