American law enforcement agencies have made the fight against drugs one of their highest priorities for almost forty years. However, more and more people are beginning to question the true benefits of the war on drugs. United States President Barack Obama even called the war on drugs a "total failure" in the YouTube video "Barack Obama on Decriminalizing Marijuana (2004)." These kinds of negative opinions about the war on drugs are not unwarranted. The war on drugs has cost Americans $33 billion and countless lives (Miron Par. 1). The war on drugs is a poor alternative to combating drug use in America, as evidenced by the history of prohibition, the crime it creates, the harmful effects it has on the lives of users and the many deaths it causes. The policy has failed and the government must respond by legalizing all recreational drugs. It is common knowledge in the United States that prohibition is a failure. In the 1920s, alcohol was made illegal by the U.S. government during Prohibition. Rather than preventing alcohol consumption, this has only created organized crime groups and a black market for the substance. Not only did this policy fail to relieve the United States of drug use, it also led to the formation of organized crime syndicates and dangerous substitutes for these drugs. The same problems apply when drugs become illegal (Thornton 1). Today there is a huge raw black market 2 in drugs which contributes to problems with prostitution, gambling and even human organs. Society suffers from the unsuccessful and costly consequences of prohibition. Even as drug regulations have continued to tighten, drug use and drug-related deaths have steadily increased. Even spending to fight against the middle of paper. .'" BBC News. BBC News, February 7, 2009. Web. June 21, 2011. .Dad, Anthony. "Will Drug Lord Do Less Time Than America's Non-Violent Drug Offender?" HuffPost Politics. Np. October 1, 2007. Web. June 21, 2011. Alcohol prohibition was a failure." CATO Institute. CATO Institute, July 17, 1991. Web June 21. 2011. .