Exactly! Drugs are a problem because too many people in our society do not have the courage to do what is necessary to fix the problem.
It sould be obvious that current anti-drug policies do not work. If it were me my primary assault would be on the distribution side of the illegal drug trade. People convicted of distributing—I don’t are how much—should get the death penalty. Without distribution, the drug lords cannot function.
Of course I would continue to pursue the producers. That includes the king pins and the people working for them who process the drugs. Like the rabid animals they are, they should be shot on sight.
Heartless and cruel? What about the woman with the consumed forearm? What about her family? And what about the children of her and people like her? True, she chose to tickle the dragon. But if the dragon is not there it cannot be tickled.
You think this would be a deterrent? This is what drug dealers and kingpins face every day from rival drug dealers. This is why drug kingpins live in compounds and surround themselves with bodyguards.
You are not describing what is necessary to fix the problem. You are describing the status quo.