I spent over a decade on the frontline of the war on drugs.
I have arrested hundreds of addicts; as many street dealers; dozens of principles, both organised and opportunists.
I have operated overtly as a task force commander focussed on long term narcotic interdiction and before that, covertly embedding into criminal activity.
During all that time our record was that we only impacted on less than 5% of what we knew about.
We simply didn’t have the resources to do more. And we never have.
In the time that has passed, nothing much has changed, except that the drugs have changed, become more habit forming, and cheaper to manufacture.
We destroy a line of supply and soon another emerges, smarter and more adept.
Meanwhile, the crime and health costs associated with illicit drug addiction remains persistent and growing.
Special drug courts have been formed to deal with the workload and they are overwhelmed.
Policing in relation to the crimes associated with drug addiction remains overwhelmed.
Health providers are overwhelmed.
Individual lives and whole families are destroyed, including some in law-enforcement who are on that front-line.
Here are some hard learnt realities I’d like to share with you:
- No addict really wants to remain an addict. They know the downward spiral they are on.
- Most street dealers are addicts themselves, having found a way to support their addiction.
- Organised and opportunity principals have a better than average chance of success, due to lack of adequate policing resources, those resources becoming more financially constrained as time goes by.
- That the drugs are illegal causes their price to be high, yet their manufacturing and distribution costs are proportionally low.
- Drug addicts are shunned by society, isolated and deprived of the love and resources they need to effectively rehabilitate.
- As an indication of society’s attitude to illicit drug addiction, please know that it is harder to give up cigarettes and alcohol, than heroin, let alone ‘ice’. Yet we accept and support cigarette smokers and alcoholics in their efforts to overcome their addiction. That is despite the high cost of nicotine addiction and alcoholism to society and that they both remain legal.
- There are large numbers of people whose careers depends upon the current status quo, none the least being ignorant politicians who make emotional and heroic but hollow statements like “Not on my watch will we legalise drug usage.”
- Public opinion is heavily influenced by a naive, sometimes unprincipled media.
So what works?
As in every major challenge, research and gaining deeper understanding is the crucial first step.
That research has already been done, but no-one appears to be listening, perhaps because we have serious vested interests in the status quo, denial, fear, old beliefs and ignorance.
It is easier to say ‘NO’ than to try well researched alternatives.
Here are the facts from that research:
- The cause of addiction is personal dysfunction related to a combination of genetics and environment. We are all contributors here.
- Decriminalisation of the drugs and the regulation of their supply to registered addicts who must attend proven rehabilitation programs, reduces crime and health costs.
- Acceptance of the addicts into our functioning society significantly helps rehabilitation. That’s where unconditional love has a major role to play.
- The provision of strictly monitored, vastly cheaper ‘clean’ drugs by authorised medical professionals works.
- The imposition of severe penalties and enforced rehabilitation for unregistered drug usage, when included in the above, is an effective deterrent.
- Realistic and effective education for prevention has proven itself in smoking, alcoholism and drug usage.
- More severe, even drastic penalties for illicit manufacture and supply, in conjunction with the above, seems logical but has never been widely adopted and one wonders why.
What Would Happen Then?
- The profit associated with illicit drugs is seriously devalued – it’s no longer worth the risk for the dealers and suppliers.
- The costs associated with drug-related crime and health issues, together with costs of enforcement and punishment are diminished.
- Far less than the above savings can be invested in effective education and rehabilitation, as evidenced in smoking.
There are too many other issues society needs to deal with, such as
- terrorism,
- climate change,
- technology disturbance,
- growing and aging population
than to waste our time and resources flogging a dead horse.
The question remains: Who in authority has the courage to properly address the unbiased truth?
What do you think?
