It is an offense to possess drugs categorized as illegal such as cocaine, ecstasy and heroin. Additionally, the use of these drugs contributes to criminal drug-related behavior. These two factors contribute to the high incarceration rates not only in state but national prisons. According to Newsweek, between 2000 and 2006, there was a 26 percent increase to 93,751 in the number of incarcerated drug offenders in federal jails. The Office of National Drug Control Policy approximates that it costs the entire country $20,674 annually to incarcerate one inmate and about $23,542 at the federal level.
The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 requires the federal government to treat and rehabilitate drug-related offenders. The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) has the responsibility of providing treatment and rehabilitation to qualified inmates before they are released from prison. The types of treatment include residential counseling, relapse avoidance strategies, vocational training and rehabilitation for hard-core drug users. These treatment and prevention activities, according to Newsweek, cost the Federal government about $4.6 billion.
According to the Drug Policy Alliance more than $51 billion is spent annually in the U.S. on the war on drugs. Law-enforcement efforts by the federal government to curtail the trade and use of illegal drugs have been going on for four decades. It is still debatable whether the law-enforcement efforts of dealing with drug abuse are entirely effective. Some opponents of these efforts such as Counting the Cost, argue that the resources could be directed toward other services.
A survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) found that approximately 75 percent of the estimated 16.4 million users of illegal drugs are in full or part-time employment. The National Registry of Workers' Compensation Specialists cites a publication by "Ensuring Solutions to Alcohol Problems of George Washington University Medical Center." According to this publication, American businesses incur $134 billion of losses annually due to alcohol abuse. The number of workers who are abusing drugs and the loss incurred to businesses negatively affects the amount of tax revenues that the federal government would otherwise collect if drug-related losses to business were not incurred.