DRUG WAR IS A FARCE, EFFORTS NOT IN THE RIGHT PLACE

What Exactly Is The War On Drugs, Anyway?

'The war on drugs' is the buzzword forefather of today's popular 'weapons
of mass destruction,' but at least we vaguely know what the latter
catchphrase means. The war on drugs, on the other hand, seems to be an
ongoing struggle that makes little progress (unless you cite the occasional
arrest on 'COPS' a great leap forward towards ridding the world of
substance abuse). Who is the enemy in this war? Is it the pathetic cousin
who borrows money from every relative and always paws at his nose, or the
stereotypical image of the Columbian drug lord slitting throats and
exploiting the naiveties of our wholesome youth for his debauched benefit?

In actuality, the true enemy that constantly plagues the war on drugs is
the government itself which seems either completely incapable or completely
unwilling to attack the true root of this problem. We seek far too many
easy answers, and don't spend enough time thoroughly investigating and
subsequently curing substance addiction in our nation. Proof of this is
Vancouver's recent decision to erect a 'safe injection site.' This centre
is aimed at preventing the spread of syringe-transported disease amongst
drug addicts. Those who are addicted to needle drugs can enter this
building and, under medical supervision, 'safely inject' the drug. Those in
charge supply you with a clean syringe and the government hopes to stifle
the spread of such rampant diseases as Hepatitis.

The entire concept of a 'safe injection site' is completely off-kilter. For
instance, how can you safely inject a drug that is detrimental to your body
itself? There is no such thing as a safe injection of heroin; it simply
isn't possible. But more importantly, this centre does nothing to actually
battle the problem of drugs which in turn causes all the needle diseases it
was set up to prevent. It simply perpetuates the problem of drug use,
because I sincerely doubt the addicts they treat will inject every last one
of their fixes in that centre. It provides nothing more than a place for
addicts to occasionally attend and get a clean fix. Once they are back on
the street they will continue using dirty needles, if convenient, rendering
the centre completely irrelevant.

Even worse, this centre will divert necessary funds from treatment centres
that rehabilitate those with addictions. These proven rehab centres gouge
out the heart of the issue. They attack the cause, not the consequence.
Battling the addictions should be the main focus of those commanding this
'war on drugs.' No progress is made when all they attempt to do is maintain
the status quo.

As a society we should take our focus away from the harrowing Columbian
drug lord and concentrate efforts on the addiction, the source, the one
true problem.