This is the pattern of increase in prison admissions for drug arrests over the past twenty years. New admissions to state prisons jumped from about 10,000 per year to over 100.000 per year since 1980.

This graph was taken from the Human Rights Watch Report "Punishment and Prejudice: Racial
Disparities in the War on Drugs."

In Illinois 90% of all drug offenders sent to prison are African American, though most Illinois
residents who use drugs are white. Nationally, while African Americans make up about 13% of
the US population they also are 13% of US drug users, but 35% of all people arrested for drug
crimes, 55% of all people convicted of drug crimes, and 74% of all people sent to prison for
drug crimes. And some people say the war on drugs isn't racist.

Click here to see how bad things are in your state.