I just read a front page article about a little town in Wisconsin, near where I live, that's instituting a very foolish drug testing program in its high school. I agree with the premise of the diary, that this random drug testing is nonsense and I agree that no one should be subjected to drug testing in order to obtain benefits of any kind. I also agree that the War On Drugs is foolish and has provided no benefits and an unimaginable cost, both in dollars and in the loss of freedom and increase in authoritarianism.
However, the truth of the matter is that the use of heroin is, in fact, having a devastating effect in our area (and I'm sure in many other areas of the country). There are so many young people addicted to this deadly drug in our area. The hospitals are inundated with emergencies resulting from its use, the legal system is inundated with crimes being committed by people trying to get money for it, the social system is being inundated with children who are being neglected as a result of it. I've personally had someone I trusted steal thousands of dollars from me when they got hooked on it. I've known people who have stolen again and again and again from their own parents and elderly grandparents to get the drug. I've known people who have sold their kids' toys to get money for the drug. I've seen kids who have been left alone at very young ages because their parents were so focused on getting the drug. I know people who have literally gone bankrupt trying to keep their kids from suffering the results of being hooked on it.
While it's satisfying to criticize the silly reaction of randomly testing high school kids as an attempt at finding a solution, I think we should be doing more. If we don't like the attempt at a solution someone else is offering, I think we should spend some time trying to come up with some better solutions.
Heroin is a horrible, horrible drug. It's not as though there are any redeeming social benefits to this drug. It's not as though it's a recreational drug anymore once someone has gotten hooked. The rate of getting hooked on it is incredibly high - and happens very quickly. Getting off it is horribly hard.
And it's not just a matter of economics. There are some specific reasons this area is being hit so hard, which I won't go into, since there are so many other areas that are also suffering. But just improving the economy or job opportunities are not going to be the solution for this one. The person who stole from me had a job, I'd handed many opportunities to him. He had more chances than the majority of people in this country.
My point here is that, while it's important to discuss the foolishness of the war on drugs and do what we can to stop it, while I agree that putting people in prison for drug use is foolish, we need to also acknowledge that not all drug use is harmless, that some drugs do truly have a negative impact, and that we should be looking at solutions to the harmful use of drugs as a part of our conversation.
Do I have any suggestions for solutions? No, sadly I don't. If I did, I'd be out there trying to incorporate them. Guess I'm just suggesting that we try, at least. And that when we criticize someone for their foolish decisions, we keep in mind that they just might not be in the pockets of the drug testing companies, but actually be aiming in the dark for a solution - any solution - that might help at all.