Letter to a leader

Dear President-Elect Barack Obama,
The war on drugs in America has been an amoral issue that has existed for the past forty years and has yet to be resolved. It is essential that the government is adamant and persistent in enhancing the previous and current efforts to fix this problem. This problem has escalated over the years. We are now fully engrossed in this war on drugs, and should limit our unproductive spendings and make better use of our money to terminate this war. The United States government has spent 40 billion dollars on the prevention of drug use in America since the late nineteen seventies. Reagan increased spending on the war against drugs drastically, however, no major improvements have occurred since. Obviously, we are spending money in all the wrong places. Not only is the money being spent carelessly, but also, our laws, amendments, and policies in place to discourage the use of illegal drugs are not being enforced.
If the government focuses its efforts on enforcing our laws through local police officers, senators, and other authoritative figures in communities across America, the potential to end the war would skyrocket. The laws themselves are not flawed or in need of enhancement, but just need to be followed and lived by. Currently, these laws seem to go by the wayside as drug trafficking has become a substantial mean of income and a way of life. We have laws in place to make our nation the best it can be and not enforcing them allows for the disintegration of a better America.
Spending money on programs that discourage the use of drugs and promote educating the youth about the dangers in drugs is something that would require nominal efforts and have profound results. D.A.R.E. is an example of a program dedicated to keeping drugs off the streets and away from our youth and teens, who are the most vulnerable targets in this war. Education is the means of prevention in this case. A shift in spending could make this problem very easy to resolve.
Change in America is something you promised, and it starts with the people who are currently tainted by drugs. Any efforts to make our streets safer deserves acclaim. It is an overlooked problem that, although concurrent among many others, is one that can easily be avoided and resolved. I strongly advise, for the safety and well-being of our nation, that you thoroughly consider taking action. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
Humberto Murillo