I think the only way to beat it is to legalise it and give it way free to registered addicts. That would stop the crime as its Steet Value would be dead, So then you wouldn’t dealers getting people hooked on the stuff. And it would clean the streets of smack, and go along way to reducing prostitution, and a fair chink of crime.
I’d have local places where they would have to go to get their ‘meds’, clean and safe etc.. Offer coinciding etc.. It would take 20 years but I would end when the last addicts die.
I seen a study once that said it wousl cost about 7k a year per addict. Seems alot but back then, each one was costing the tax payer about 15k a year anyhow.
So we could pay a diminishing 7k a year for about 20years or just carryon with the 15k.
The drawback is dealer’s would just move to anther adddictied drug to push, but I’d be just keep adding these new drugs to the ‘free’ list as they crop up.
It’s certainly a war and one that will take a generation or two to win, but it is winnable. But not by criminalisation, as you rarely catch anyone important, and some one will always fill their shoes when such big money is involved.
We need to make the product worthless to win. That’s the answer. Treat it as an economic issue rather than a social or criminal issue.
