The war on drugs fiasco.

OldWiseGuy said:

The war on drugs can be won.

National-Level Gang-Drug Trafficking Organization Connections - Attorney General's Report to Congress on the Growth of Violent Street Gangs in Suburban Areas (UNCLASSIFIED)

Authorities know just about everyone in these gangs by name. All that is needed to arrest entire gangs is the necessary legislation; conspiracy to distribute illegal drugs. Everyone in these gangs is involved in the enterprise, therefore everyone could be arrested. Cartels depend on these gangs for distribution and sale of drugs. It is the weakest link in their whole operation, but the one least paid attention to by the authorities.

Drug addicts and users are also known to authorities. They too are guilty of criminal activity and should be arrested, but placed in involuntary confinement treatment centers, not prison.

The other efforts are fruitless and only serve to frustrate the whole campaign, however it does provide employment and some pretty neat toys for those involved.

"The seriousness of a problem can be gauged by the response to it." -OldWiseGuy

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Compare the warnings about cigarettes
Vs
Abolition from the 1920s-30s...

Which worked better?

It's easy to see that good education/information, like the information effort against smoking, is the most effective tool.

Simply outlawing with enforcement alone isn't really what works.

If you really want to fight bad drugs well, successfully, educate children around age 10-12 on how they harm.

OldWiseGuy said:

How would you do that without scarring their tender sensitivities forever (and possible causing them to take drugs themselves to compensate)?

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heh heh.

It worked well for me. The last thing I wanted was to damage my lungs like those pictures. Interestingly I've heard kids saying much the same in the last few years, about such as smoking or vaping. They have the same reaction I did to the information they were given at that age.

The same kind of education can help with such things as hard drugs. Show the real effects, graphically and realistically.

Prohibition in the ‘30s did not stop thIs countrIt’s consumption of alcohol. What is did do was to start the formalization of organized crime, starting with the gangs in Chicago.

The drug laws today have made the drug trade very profitable and have increased violence in our nation.

Like in the ‘30s, the loss of product to law enforcement is factored into the bottom line as the cost of doing business.

We have not learned from history and are now doomed to repeat it.

We began receiving anti-drug use education in elementary school. We had periodic gatherings which included videos and a talk afterward. I recall being in second or third grade.

I remember the imagery from Woodstock and similar settings. We knew about LSD and PCP by 6th grade. But there was never a desire to indulge for myself or classmates who were educated at a young age.

In my opinion, 10-12 is pretty late. By then, kids are discussing sexuality. I began conditioning my daughter at a very young age. The early lessons related to character. In primary years I added authority and consequences. We started discussions on drugs at 7. She received her 7 commandments at that point. These represented trespasses she was not to commit and the results of doing so.

In adolescence we did yearly character themes. I’d reenforce the message through books, entertainment, and other mediums. The greater aim was solidifying the reality of choices and consequences and embedding the necessity of exercising wisdom.

As a result, drugs weren’t an issue. Nor was truancy, broken curfews, or the usual problems common in today’s society. Boundaries and discipline played a part. But so did honesty. I was upfront about my experiences and the things I’d seen and done along with those I knew. She had firsthand experience with problem-solving and we still do that now.

I wanted her to think. To weigh her decisions and avoid reactance or making choices in an emotional state. The teaching took root. I’d make some tweaks of course. But the result was good.

~Bella