More than 40 years ago, President Richard Nixon announced that drugs were the first enemy of societies and launched an unprecedented global campaign called "The War on Drugs".
Today the results of the campaign are clear, the war on drugs has failed miserably with catastrophic consequences; it has filled US prisons, corruption, political instability, violence in Latin America, Asia and Africa, as well as systematic violations of human rights in the world; and has negatively affected the lives of millions ! All this is in addition to the waste of billions of dollars each year that has been used only in the formation and support of drug traffickers, while the desired goal of the "war on drugs" is far-fetched: a world devoid of drugs!
- But the important question is: How did this happen?
The essence of the war on drugs strategy is "no drugs, no problems." therefore, most of the efforts over the past decades have focused on eradicating drug sources and arresting drug smugglers, this policy ignores the fundamentals of the market's strength, namely supply and demand.
If the supply is reduced for any product without reducing the demand first price rises, sales may be reduced to many products but not to drugs! The drug market will not be affected by prices. Drugs will be consumed regardless of their cost. The result will be to encourage the production of more drugs and the employment of more smugglers and therefore more available; this is also known as the "balloon effect". Even if a major source of drug production or supply has been eliminated, its access to addicts will not be reduced.
Methamphetamine is the best example of this. The US government has tried to stop its production by putting strict controls on the sale of chemicals used in its industry, forcing large manufacturers to stop production, but the unaccounted result is that thousands of small producers have started their activities all over the country especially in small cities and rural areas using other chemicals not covered by controls! In response, some states wanted to reduce domestic drug production by controlling more chemicals and minimizing , but once again the supply of methamphetamine was the same! Mexican drug cartels immediately took over and opened large drug factories, and the drug they produced was better than before, and they had more experience and more professional means of smuggling. Efforts have been reversed and drug production has become more literal, and the drug itself is more effective! His addiction to addicts was never affected.
So it seems that the war on drug production can never be won! And the failure was not only in the availability of drugs in abundance or demand uninterrupted or it has become better quality than before, but with a budget of $ 30 billion to manage the war on drugs was effective anti-American drug agency less than 1% only! Whether in its attempts to stop the smuggling of drugs from abroad, or to trade them at home!
- Countless problems!
Many children in the world can get drugs as easily as wines, but the problem does not stop here. The ban may prevent some from taking drugs, but it does more harm to society at large.
The most common problems we associate with drug addiction are actually the result of the war on drugs! For example drug blocking makes it stronger and purified, then larger quantities can be stored in less spaces and thus more profits! This is exactly what happened during the period of banning alcohol, and led to the consumption of concentrated liquor instead of light! The ban on alcohol has led to increased violence and killing around the world. Gangs can not resort to official courts to resolve conflicts and thus use violence, which has led to a rise in brutality.
Some estimates indicate a 25-75% increase in homicides due to the war on drugs. In Mexico, about 164,000 people were killed between 2007 and 2014, more than the war dead in Afghanistan and Iraq combined in the same period!
But the biggest damage to society that can be caused by the war on drugs is to engage non-violent addicts in prisons. For example, the United States, which is the main engine of the war on drugs, has 5% of the world's population, but its prisoners are 25% of the world's prisoners because of the cruel and mandatory sentences of minimum imprisonment, and that is why minorities suffer more. African Americans make up 40% of US prisoners, and although white children are more drug addicted, black children are 10 times more likely to be arrested!
- Is there a solution to this problem ?
During the 1980s, Switzerland faced a public health crisis as a result of heroin addiction; the incidence of AIDS increased and crime spread in the streets. But the Swiss government has tried a new strategy: reduce the damage!
They opened free heroin-free sanatoriums so that addicts could be treated and recovered; they were given heroin free and high quality as well! In addition to the provision of clean needles and use of safe rooms to take doses and showers, beds and medical care, with the appointment of social workers to obtain housing and other life problems.
The result? Severe reduction of drug-related crimes! Two-thirds of the addicts in the clinics had fixed jobs and could now focus on improving their condition instead of looking for money to finance their addiction. Today more than 70% of heroin addicts in Switzerland are receiving treatment, AIDS patients have dropped dramatically; deaths from heroin overdose have dropped by 50%;
So we see that there are other ways to solve the drug crisis, not only cheap but real solutions instead of creating new problems. The drug embargo in the college led to its systems, destroyed human rights systems, wasted a lot of money and caused human suffering ... all for a goal that can not be achieved.
After 40 years of conflict, it is time to end the war on drugs and go for the better; I hope that I will not misunderstand this point specifically ...
