Is it possible to win the war on drugs

Since the early s, the United States has declared a war on drugs, focusing on ways in which to reduce the use and abuse of illicit and addicting drugs. In addition to law enforcement strategies, the pharmaceutical industry has played a role in trying to curb misuse and abuse of prescription drugs, particularly opioids. In the main article in this publication, the author describes several strategies currently being used to prevent the misuse and abuse of prescription opioids. These approaches include the use of abuse-deterrent formulations ADFs , along with postmarketing surveillance to confirm the benefits of these agents.

Methods also involve prescription monitoring, overdose prevention, drug take-back programs, educational programs, and Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies for controlled-release prescription opioids. So long as the vast American market for cocaine, heroin and other drugs yields irresistible profits, the cartels will continue taking the risks of producing, transporting and distributing the products their customers want.

Even with U. Even if the U. Despite decades of a supposed U. Related Books Terrorism and U. Foreign Policy By Paul R. Daalder and James M.

Like Bennett, Califano believes that decriminalization of drugs is a dangerous idea and that the criminal justice system must continue to handle drug users with a firm hand. But he has opposed some of the tough mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenses and says we can do much better in prevention through education. Legalization or decriminalization, he believes, would make drugs more available to children, and overall use would increase. Drug policy, he believes, should focus on initiatives such as neighborhood- and school-based programs aimed at high-risk 8- to year-olds.

He also favors outreach programs specifically tailored to particular categories of people who may abuse substances for very different reasons and in very different patterns, such as mothers on welfare, families torn by domestic abuse, families living in public housing, college students and people with HIV.

But Nadelmann rejects the claim that decriminalization of marijuana is a Trojan horse for a broader legalization agenda.

Maybe so, but few national politicians have jumped on the bandwagon. Yet despite some politicians pushing for a return to a more American-style war on drugs, the policies have endured—in part because the broader public supports decriminalization and a health-centered approach. While there is still a debate about the policy and how easily it could apply to other countries, it is clear that on the ground in Portugal, healthcare workers feel better equipped to help addicts.

Although Fonseca says centers still lack adequate funding, two state-sponsored outreach teams—made up of psychologists, social workers and nurses—continue to travel each day to find addicts and get them the treatment they need. Portugal still has a way to go, with some people continuing to use drugs in terrible conditions.

But to do so, it will have to stop treating them like criminals. Follow him on Instagram goncalo. Follow him on Twitter paulmoakley. Write to Naina Bajekal at naina.

Portugal Might Have the Answer. At the height of the heroin crisis in the 90's as many as 5, drug users lived on the streets of the Casal Ventoso neighborhood shown here, January 12, Portugal made history by becoming the first country in the world to abolish criminal penalties for consumption and possession of all drugs.

She and Rita, a psychologist, are a part of the first line of help in the Portuguese Harm Reduction Policy. They trade used needles for clean ones, offer tinfoil for those who smoke, and psychological and social support to almost 1, users every year. A site near Bairro da Cruz, Lisbon February 6, The kit the outreach workers give out consists of two syringes and drug paraphernalia, a condom, citric acid, distilled water and sanitation wipes.