The problem with the war on drugs is we keep doing it wrong.
We don’t really punish people for drug crime. The cops catch them, but druggies and dealers don’t pay. We give little to no incentive for them to quit selling or using drugs.
I had a close look at the meth world in recent months. A friend of mine went down a different path several years ago and is now returning to the real world. She is in treatment.
I spent some time talking to her about it, asking all the questions I could think of, from why to how.
The how is the interesting part of the conversation. These people receive aid of all kinds from the government. Some receive Social Security checks. They receive food stamps and cash assistance from the state.
At a meth house in Sweet Home, I watched a man come bouncing over a fence. He was happy to be out after six days in jail. His buddies gathered around him to welcome him home – just another day in the life here. No doubt, he would soon be sucking on a glass pipe (I guess that’s how it works).
Legal entanglements are a mere speed bump for these people.
The bottom line is that no one is serious about stopping this problem, except maybe some cops.
The war on drugs is not a war. It’s a full employment measure for cops and drug dealers. Black market prices make it lucrative for dealers while ensuring police chase their tails, trying to end the problem.
We should legalize away the black market profits and allow most drugs to be bought and sold like anything else.
If society cannot handle that solution but really wants to get serious, we should stop beating around the bush. Punishment needs to be punishment. Hurt the users and dealers. Cause them pain. Punish them.
In my world, where most drugs are legal on the principle that it’s none of our business what poison people insert into their veins, the law should only punish them – and make it hurt -for crimes stemming from their drug use.
The least thing we could do now is cut off all public aid and assistance from drug users and dealers. We should implement random drug testing for anyone who is on any form of public aid, money or food stamps.
In any world, paying for someone’s groceries so they can spend their cash on pot, meth, cigarettes or alcohol is stupid.