I don't understand, either. Our society is much too lenient, enabling in fact, about the early stages of drug abuse. One thing I have learned in my years of teaching across the economic, ethnic, racial, and social spectrum: Whatever ones circumstances are, the people in a group show the same range of satisfaction. There are wealthy, privileged people who are depressed and unstable. There are those who are borderline homeless who are people who have great values and a sense of self-worth.
A large part of the problem is that instead of teaching coping skills, our society makes excuses for those who have problems and feeds them with drugs or leaves them out of meaningful, productive dialog with society.
Our society is much too lenient, enabling in fact, about the early stages of drug abuse. One step would diminish it a great deal: execute drug dealers, from street level to kingpin. No plea bargains, no deals.