"It sure keeps a lot of people busy (and with paychecks) in the justice system though. Hmmmm." who

who,
I'm not sure you specifically had it in mind when you posted this, but I believe it was one of the early leaders of the March of Dimes charity that explained:
(sear paraphrases)
- Our business is to put ourselves out of business. -

Part of the problem; precisely the problem your post identifies; is that Drug War is big business.
Ike [see below] warned us of the "military industrial complex".
He had the right idea, even if he didn't recognize the particular War.
In Drug War, it's the -prison industrial complex-, among other things. According to the most recent stats I've seen, we've got hundreds of thousands of non-violent prisoners of Drug War, that we're paying $10's of $Thousands each year to keep off the tax roles. We lose BOTH ways!

It's preposterous.
"Every gun that is made, every warship that is launched, every rocket that is fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children ..." President Dwight D. Eisenhower

Ike,
You may have blown some stuff as Prez.
But you sure got that right. (please forgive me red)