Nope. Instead the regulation, oversight, enforcement and control of drugs would only worsen the problems you bring up. For example, modern day revenuers from the IRS would still be busting Mom and Pop for growing pot in the backyard without a permit and without paying taxes. And while, God forbid, it might be legal to possess meth, the millions of new meth heads in our society will simply destroy us.
By ending the war, the cartels would dry up and wither away or have to find more legitimate enterprises.
The only way to end the war is to win it. If we surrender and legalize it, the cartels win as they will suddenly become legitimate taxpaying corporations.
Can you define what constitutes 'victory'?
Mom and Pop don't need to get a permit or pay taxes on personal-use amounts of the home-brewed/fermented drug alcohol.
And while, God forbid, it might be legal to possess meth, the millions of new meth heads in our society will simply destroy us.
What reason is there to believe there would be millions? Are YOU itching to use meth but are deterred only by its illegality?
If we surrender and legalize it, the cartels win as they will suddenly become legitimate taxpaying corporations.
Like the Prohibition rumrunners went legit and became today's legal suppliers of the drug alcohol? LOL!
While it may sound cold and heartless, things like meth would be self correcting as those people don't last long. I would rather see the very effective advertizing campaign against meth stepped up. I don't know if you have seen the billboards or heard the radio adds but that is far more preferable than the jack booted thug approach that impacts all of us by stripping us of our Constitutional rights. I would guess that it is more effective too. I believe that there would actually be less meth heads around because once the obscene profit is removed, the drug pusher would be too. He could make more money at McDonald's. This source of targeted corruption of our youth would largely go away. Look at the "glamorous" lifestyle that rap videos promote with gangsters rolling in money. It would be a different story when the gangsters are driving second hand Yugos. Not quite as attractive to foolish urban youth.
The war on drugs is a charade. It was never fought to be won. There is too much money to be made. As you astutely observed, the natural place to start is at our borders. Interesting and very telling that in our war on drugs border control has been assiduously avoided. You also noted that to win the war we must FIGHT. Our borders have only been opened up more. Put up a wall and use troops? That's just crazy talk when we have a "virtual fence" /s Well, what if the point is not to win? There is far too much money to be made by not winning and keeping the war funded. Too much power and control to lose. What do you want a free society or something? The border issue is the root of many problems and perhaps, just perhaps it might be better controlled without lots of money changing hands to look the other way.
A far better way to do it is through education. Smart education. Having a stupid, fat "D.A.R.E. officer show up at schools all dressed up like some sort of fat ninja soldier in his custom painted, taxpayer funded Daremobile is counterproductive. The kids just laugh behind his large backside. If anything that has a negative effect. This becomes the face of the war on drugs and it loses all credibility. Shooting the neighbors dogs doesn't help much either when they are busting down the wrong door at 3:00 in the morning.