I look at it from the following perspective. There are two intertwined economies. The formal economy and the underground economy. Because of the war on drugs, the underground economy is booming. It's counter-intuitive because you'd expect it to shrink because of the war on drugs. Except the war on drugs moved drug trade from the formal economy to the underground economy. Add to that the fact that when drugs became illegal it made them more scarce and as a result more expensive. Most (if not all) incarcerated people took part in this underground economy, willingly or unwillingly, by faith or by choice. Human trafficking, prostitution, drug abuse, and violence are all part of the underground economy and they are increasing because this economy is growing, enabled by the war on drugs.