Comments on: Baby Steps In The War On Drugs

By: Jonah

Jonah — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:19:20 +0000

I agree that the government’s intent might be sound. But does that mean we should be spending piles of money, law enforcement hours and lives fighting drug lords in Mexico? Should the gvt encourage anti-drug campaigns, when the data show they have the opposite (negative) effect? There are lots of ways to help kids make the right decisions without a capital letters War On Drugs.

By: givenchance

givenchance — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 07:54:32 +0000

problem with drugs is one of the most important ones. so many young people suffer from it now and nobody can help them if only they do not do it by themselves. even if they understand that drugs are killers they will continue to use them. the policy is to help them to understand they should leave it!

By: Steven Harris

Steven Harris — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:14:57 +0000

I do wonder sometimes whether governments ever consult former addicts. For people who are trying to beat addictions, talking with those who have already been through what they are experiencing and succeeding can be of great benefit. Those who got themselves clean can see things from both sides of the tracks, as it were. Maybe I’m wrong but I get the impression that most government backed campaigns do not seek the advise of those who know what it is like to overcome such problems.

By: Jonah

Jonah — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:08:55 +0000

My home country of Canada is more enlightened, at least. And there’s a glimmer of hope in my adopted home country if incremental steps like these keep getting taken.

By: Steven Harris

Steven Harris — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:07:25 +0000

Hi Jonah. I wish I could say that here in the United Kingdom there is a more enlightened policy towards helping those with addictions. Sadly this is not the case.

By: Jonah

Jonah — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:05:04 +0000

Spot on, Steven. Thanks for dropping by, really sharp commentary.

By: Baby Steps In The War On Drugs « JonahKeri.com | Global Security Blog

Baby Steps In The War On Drugs « JonahKeri.com | Global Security Blog — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:55:33 +0000

[...] the rest here: Baby Steps In The War On Drugs « JonahKeri.com Tags: against-the-expressed, expressed, expressed-wishes, global, moral-dilemna, the-pernicious, [...]

By: Steven Harris

Steven Harris — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:48:57 +0000

SO long as politicians and their followers continue to use tired rhetoric and believe that drugs need a war against them, their efforts to eradicate the problems of drug abuse within society will fail. Drugs are not an enemy to be vanquished, they are addictive substances which people need help to end their dependence on. It should not be a battlefield but a dialogue. Only then can those who have become addicted gain enough education to understand why they may have fallen into their situation in the first place. And, while we’re at it, acknowledging that to ban some addictive substances (heroin, cocaine, etc) and yet positively promote others – such as alcohol and tobacco – is a level of social hypocrisy which does nothing to help those addicted to illegal substances.