Everyone seems to be commenting on the
drugs themselves, or their effects, or on the
stigmatization of anyone who attacks the
War on Drugs.
But the whole notion of a war seems to me to be very American. (And what I am writing about very UnAmerican.) Americans are very good at marshaling vast resources to attack something that can be easily seen, pointed at, and demonized. But not at causes.
Causes are not so easily visible. Causes are not easily sloganable. And the reality of such go against the mythology held so dear by so many.
In all of the above discussion, no one has spoken about poverty. Maybe that's too liberal of me. Maybe all anyone has to do is just say no.
But in a society that is unequal, and unfair, where classes do exist, many do not have an opportunity of realizing the American Dream.
Views on issues as seemingly unconnected as urban sprawl, public transportation, health care, redistribution of wealth, private sector--all contribute to the exclusion of those who become the underclass.
And the underclass must be controlled. So the issues of police, prisons, and the rest of public policy arise.
Harm reduction is a good place to start, but it is only a start.
A society that is based on impoverishing and disenfranchising so many--I hesitate to put a number on this--shouldn't be surprised many will seek to escape.
Or that others, taking to heart the lessons of capitalism, and rugged individualism, will seek to profit off the misery of others.