[I would argue almost all of the anti-drug initiatives are a total waste of time.]
Call it defeatist, but I am of the belief that you can’t fight supply nor demand.
There is something in the human (many - at various times) which makes them seek drugs.
—All societies I know have them.
—All societies through all of time have had them.
—Even the most remote and isolated societies have them.
We’re really trying to fight human nature.
IMHO: This is an issue best dealt with by trying to manage it.
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Provide access to services for those seeking help / get out from dependence.
Accurate and truthful education, not this idiotic crap like with marijuana years ago where the government ends up discrediting itself.
Containment, preventing people from being molested by the the nuisance it poses. Prevent criminal organizations from spreading and gaining control over areas, etc. Ensure the criminal organizations are suppressed and never gain political influence.
Discourage use by maintaining a negative stigma and keeping it illegal, with consequences for the user but without crushing these people (you don’t want to make them unproductive members of society). Government should not condone dangerous and unhealthy behavior.
***I would focus on the demand and supply side, BUT my idea is to have reasonable expectations, approach it empirically and pragmatic. Try to avoid the grandstanding by politicians and knee jerk reactions which make for dumb and frankly counter productive policy. If it don’t work, get rid of it. Use the dollar spent on Intel and law enforcement in a way where we can demonstrate the maximum ROI regards management of this problem.
How much effort we exert depends on the extent of the problem at the time. Trump is right. The US today faces a drug crisis: https://nida.nih.gov/sites/default/files/images/fig1_2025.jpg. We should be focusing on the problem. Every year two times as many Americans die from drug overdoses than from the entire Vietnam war!
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However, this idea that we’re in a war where you have a beginning and end, a victory that can be achieved is nonsense.
Drugs are part of the human condition and they are not going away even if you execute people for distribution.
We should stop trying to see this like a winnable battle or where through brutality we can win.
It’s more like struggling to maintain your body weight and not become obese (if you’re not blessed with a natural thin figure). It’s an endless struggle where you should not give up (it’s a necessary struggle but not something per say “winnable”).
