Every war has them, and the longer the war, the more entrenched they become. They are parasites who make their living off the war, off the suffering and the death. The worst of them use their influence to expand, sustain, and prolong the war in order to keep the gravy train running.

They justify their efforts by proclaiming that the war is holy and thus fool themselves into believing that their profits are merely well-earned side-effects of a noble cause — when in fact the war serves no purpose except to act as a fertile breeding ground for their corruption.

The profiteers in the drug war are numerous, from the drug testing companies to the drug task forces to the prison industry.

A remarkable piece at NPR — Folsom Embodies California’s Prison Blues by Laura Sullivan — explores how the prison union exploded the prison population in California.

California wasn’t the only state to toughen laws in the throes of the 1980s crack wars. But Californians took it to a new level.

Voters increased parole sanctions and gave prison time to nonviolent drug offenders. They eliminated indeterminate sentencing, removing any leeway to let inmates out early for good behavior. Then came the “Three Strikes You’re Out” law in 1994. Offenders who had committed even a minor third felony — like shoplifting — got life sentences.

Voters at the time were inundated with television ads, pamphlets and press conferences from Gov. Pete Wilson. “Three strikes is the most important victory yet in the fight to take back our streets,” Wilson told crowds.

But behind these efforts to get voters to approve these laws was one major player: the correctional officers union.

So a recent study found that up to 90% of U.S. currency (especially in large cities) contains cocaine residue.

A team from University of Massachusetts in Dartmouth has found that bills from the US and Canada are highly likely to have trace amounts of cocaine, showing for the first time a growing prevalence in the abuse of [...]