jails are a big business

Esquire report:

To review, using what seem to be very conservative numbers, our first unofficial tally of the drug war in the United States is staggering: 15,223 dead and $52.3 billion spent each year.

America’s prohibition of narcotics may be costing more lives than Mexico’s — and nearly enough dollars for universal health care. So why not repeal our drug laws? Because cops are making money off them, too.