In this essay I will define drug abuse and show the economic impact of illicit drug sales. I will introduce an argument for legalization and the impact on the economy. Next I will discuss some of the economic costs resulting from lack of productivity, health care costs, and other costs associated with drug abuse. To understand the economic impact of illicit drugs we must first define what a drug is. A drug is defined as any substance other than food that affects the way the mind or body works. Abuse is defined as the wrong or improper use of something. So drug abuse would be defined as the misuse of medications. As a DARE officer, this definition has been ingrained in my mind for the past eighteen years. During my twenty years of law enforcement I have learned how dangerous drugs are to the economy. They harm the body and drug abuse also has a huge economic impact on the country. In the United States there are two types of drugs, legal and illegal. Legal medications have two subcategories, prescription and over-the-counter. Prescription drugs are placed into different categories called schedules. Those who have a higher likelihood of abuse or addiction are ranked higher in the program. Schedule I drugs are drugs that have no safe or accepted medical use in the United States. Examples are heroin, marijuana, LSD, PCP, and crack cocaine. As you progress through the program, the drugs become less addictive and have little potential for abuse, but they are still monitored by the Drug Enforcement Agency. Schedule V is the one with the most controlled drugs. Examples are codeine, valium, and xanax Nonprescription drugs are those sold over the counter and you do not need a prescription to purchase them. The illegal or...... middle of paper ...... 0,000,000 on health care, productivity and other costs, but in the same period we spent only $150 billion to enforce drug laws. If we focused on treating and rehabilitating drug addicts, I think a substantial portion of the trillions of dollars could be used for other things. The economic benefit may be unmeasurable. Works CitedBureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). (n.d.). Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). Retrieved April 10, 2011, from http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/Moomaw, R.L., Olson, K.W., & Edgmand, M.R. (2007). Crime and drugs: a modern issue. Economy and contemporary issues (7th ed., pp. 201-216). Mason, OH: Thomson/South-Western.THE ECONOMIC COSTS OF PHARMACY. (2001, September 1). National reference service for criminal justice. Retrieved April 7, 2011, from www.ncjrs.gov/ondcppubs/publications/pdf/economic_costs98.pdf