Think of all the police officers, sheriff’s deputies and state troopers who are involved in investigating, transporting and interrogating suspects of illegal drug activity.

Imagine all the prosecutors, public defenders and staff needed to process such offenders in our sluggish judicial system. I wonder exactly how much time and money is dedicated in an attempt to achieve justice. This is only the tip of the iceberg.

Think of how many courtroom hours are spent in devotion to drug-related cases. What about the judges, court clerks, bailiffs, stenographers, attendants and so on who must be present for such cases? Last time I checked, many of these public servant were pretty well paid compared to most of us, so I wonder just how much of the public’s money goes into fighting the logistical war on crime. And it’s still not over yet.

The United States of America has a larger prison population than any other country on the planet, by both population percentage and overall totals, according to the United Nations. Of those 2.19 million people in incarceration, you can bet that many of those being held in our prison and jail cells are drug offenders.

Try calculating the man hours of all the corrections officers guarding them, all the energy used, food consumed and medical expenses burdened upon the taxpayer.