Yes, Tom, doing nothing is a better alternative. Just like doctors swear to “first, do no harm.” Even if the drug war were simply an ineffective approach that didn’t make things worse, the fact that it consumes resources that would be better spent elsewhere makes it immoral.

For the record, I’m not a disinterested by-stander in the realm of substance abuse. I have been around faith-based treatment programs for alcoholism and drug use since I was 6 months old. My father devoted his entire life to working with addicts. My first paying job was at a rescue mission. During my college studies, I spent several days each week working with drug users. I’ve witnessed my alcoholic “uncles” from the mission during relapse, when they show up at our house in the middle of the night and piss all over the porch. I’ve cared for babies while their moms fought (and in most cases, lost) their fight to stay clean. I’ve fished kids out of back alleys and crack houses where they had collapsed, rode in the ambulance with them, held their hands when they woke up and told me not to bother telling their parents, who were too strung out themselves to notice. I’ve held crying 15-year-old girls as decide to give up their crack-addicted babies because they knew couldn’t care for themselves, let alone their kid. I’ve been in the prisons that are full of fathers, sons, brothers and husbands doing time because they were in a car with someone who was carrying when they got profiled.

I’ve fought (and am still fighting) subtance abuse myself. I’ve struggled with compulsive use of alcohol and drugs. I’ve had legal troubles. I’ve destroyed relationships. I’ve damaged property and people. I’ve been to (and still go to) 12-step programs.

A lot of people say things that sound right when it comes to drugs, but they’ve never been there. I’ve been on the battlefield, and I’m telling you that we are not winning this war. All we’re doing is letting those who aren’t in the trenches feel better about themselves.

I’m not a bleeding heart on this stuff, by any stretch. I understand and value the rule of law. I vote Republican, generally, and I support conservative values for the most part. I believe firmly that drug abuse is a serious problem, and I agree that it’s a form of immorality. I know that no addict can blame anyone by himself for his addiciton. But the “War on Drugs” has proven time and time again to be as effective a measure as medical “bleeding” was two centuries ago, and it’s time to face the facts. We’re making it worse. We need to stop.