The Nation on Incarceration in the US

Nonviolent drug offenses involving trafficking or possession (the modern equivalent of rum-running or getting caught with a bottle of bathtub gin) accounted for 31 percent of the total...

Inevitably a single conviction leads to economic disenfranchisement and, no surprise, leaves the offender working in the extra-legal economy. Even a rehabilitated offender has little chance of finding legitimate employment.

The white applicant with a prison record was half as likely to be called back for a second interview as the white applicant without. But the black applicant without a criminal record was no more likely to be called back than the white applicant with a record, while the black applicant with a record was two-thirds less likely to be called back than the black applicant without.

The drug war has created a permanent underclass of citizens and has done nothing to stem the flow of drugs. In fact, prices are lower then ever. Not to mention that the war is unbelievably expensive, costing tax payers over $40 Billion per year an estimated $40,000 for every drug arrest.