America has a long history of battles and wars. However, there is one that we have been fighting for over a century. We have had a “war” on drugs since President Nixon held office. Over so many years you would expect us to have gained some traction and be close to the end of this long battle. But as time has passed, it has proven to become more and more difficult to get rid of drugs-- there are many reasons for this. The major reason is how the government continues to go about it.
The War on Drugs has a long history. America has been struggling with drug problems since before the war was declared. For a long time drugs where used for medicine. Things like heroin were thought to cure respiratory infections. Cocaine was used in Coca-Cola. For a while nobody thought anything of it and did not see the lingering side effects. In 1924, the Heroin Act was put in to place, this banned the use of heroin (even in medicinal use). In 1914, the Harrison Narcotics Act was passed. This act allowed a special tax on people who produced or distributed opium, coca leaves and their byproducts, except for physicians who used the drugs in their practice. This was the first step in trying to control and manage the soon to be drug academic in America. More laws and restrictions were put into place until 1971, when former President Nixon declared a formal War on Drugs. Drugs were to be considered a public enemy.
Now with decades of time to even just reduce drug abuse, the numbers have climbed. The American people have lost the war. One of the reasons is programs like D.A.R.E. were implemented without knowing the effectiveness of the program. The idea was to simply warn kids about the dangers of something and they might not do it. As we know, telling kids the dangers of something does not always stop them. However, the biggest reason is that the whole strategy has been to completely get rid of all drugs. This is nearly impossible-- drugs are produced at alarming quantities and there simply is not enough man power to do something like this. This is even more unlikely to happen because of prescribed medication-- which can also be addictive. Reducing the supply will increase the price, thus causing the demand to drop. But this is not the same for drugs-- the demand will stay consistent, the user will find a way, no matter the cost. We are spending 30 billion dollars when the United States has around a one percent effectiveness in controlling supply, as explained by this video.
The next step in trying to reduce the use of drugs and drug related problems is to end the war. We have been fighting a battle that will never end. To truly stop the deaths, infections and debt caused by drugs, we need to re-work out a plan. Just "getting rid of drugs" does not work, as we continue to see. One option is free centers. One of these free centers could focus on helping addicts recover. On the other hand, Sweden has free heroin clinics, where addicts get clean needles and rooms, they are also accompanied by doctors. These people also have social workers to help them get jobs and houses. After this, the rates of HIV infections and overdoses dramatically decreases. This is by far one of the most controversial way to diminish drug related problems.
The War on Drugs has run its course. It has been around 40 years and yet drugs continue to rise. In order to really get rid of drug abuse, we need to take a step back and reevaluate our methods. Our government is not winning, and we need a new way to get rid of drugs and the related problems.
