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the budget
When one looks at the proposed Columbus County budget, the money taxpayers spend on law enforcement stands out.
In the upcoming year, more than $7.4 million is budgeted for the jail and the sheriff’s department.
The sheriff is asking for four more jailers to staff the new $10 million jail and for one additional drug detective.
In Tabor City, the state is building a $90 million prison for hardened criminals.
Many, if not most, of the county’s property crimes are directly related to illegal drugs.
Because of the county’s financial woes, everything from the schools to parks and recreation and the library will go underfunded. Money we could allocate for our youth and a better quality of life is spent on criminals.
There are three sad facts that come out of this. One is that what we spend on law enforcement is a legitimate expense. If anything, more people need jail time. Second, much of our crime is the result of illegal drug use and trade, and third, the fight against drugs seems to be a losing battle. Much of what we spend on law enforcement, justice and the penal system is directly attributed to illegal drug use.
Most editorials conclude with a recommendation. Yet, we don’t have a recommendation for the drug problem and its cost to society, both financially and socially.
Would legalizing drugs be part of the answer? Should we shift our focus from interdiction and enforcement to treatment? We don’t know the answer, but one thing is for certain: it’s easy to see here not only the human toll that illegal drug use takes, but there is a huge financial impact as well.