Drug crimes are mostly committed by poor people, many of whom are black or Hispanic. White people tend to have the money to buy drugs, pay for good lawyers, or afford rehabilitation. Moreover, the real drug of choice in the white community is alcohol. Illegal drug use in general is caused by deep social factors, and the law enforcement strategy does not effectively address these factors. About 14 million Americans use illegal drugs each year for one reason or another. They spend approximately $50 billion on marijuana, cocaine, crack, heroin, and hallucinogens. The emphasis of law enforcement, on the supply side rather than on the demand side, has failed. One reason is that drug-related crime involves the drug trade's great profitability. The author notes that neither drug legalization nor the mere availability of treatment and rehabilitation will cure the root causes of drug use. The real solution lies in people having some sense of hope for the future and in making individuals more aware of the destructiveness of drugs. Clearly, some increase in drug use will occur if drugs become legal and accessible at a reasonable price. Yet, the benefits of drug legalization will outweigh the negatives in the form of less crime and illegal profits, more resources for rehabilitation, fewer jail cells and prisoners, better use of law enforcement personnel, greater respect for the law, fewer corrupted police officers, and fewer deaths from impure substances.