What’s the best way to fight drugs/drug abuse?

Rhythm
#1. April 12th, 2009, at 6:53 AM.

No government assistance for applicants that fail drug tests.

curmudgeon1955
#2. April 13th, 2009, at 9:07 PM.

Take a lesson from Singapore, Malaysia, and Saudi Arabia- execute drug dealers quickly.

Mr Blobby
#3. April 14th, 2009, at 2:46 PM.

Decriminalise, keep it well away from the police and politicians and place it in the Health field and get people telling the truth for a change. Political and police lies about softer drugs have been the real ‘precursors’.

misspoo4
#4. April 16th, 2009, at 9:20 AM.

Wow. If I could have it my way, I would require that every family member who receives any kind of financial assistance from the government via food stamps, WIC, Medicaid, Medicare, financial aid for college etc, submit to a panel of drug tests upon application and every 6 months after that. For example I would require that if a mother walks into the office and fills out an application for food stamps or medicaid, every member of her household over the age of 15 would have to submit to us harvesting a strand of their hair and collecting urine and/or blood for testing. In case you are wandering, I suggest the hair because it can test for drug usage for months prior to the actual test date. I am not suggesting that only people on welfare use drugs and alcohol. I am saying that the government is empowered to check these people in particular because they are asking for assistance from the government. Can we agree that most drug users rarely walk into a clinic and announce that they have a drug problem? There are few that seek help, but they are the minority. I strongly feel that if a parent knows that the benefits from the government could be lost for the entire family if one of them tests positive for drugs, then they will take extra steps to enforce to their children that drugs are not tolerated as well as thinking twice before dabbling in it themselves. Obviously, this plan would cost the american people a lot of money because it is expensive to run drug tests on all the people recieving help from the government, but it is a start. After a while, my guess is that people recieving aid will either stop using drugs, or stop asking for aid.

Wishmaster
#5. April 18th, 2009, at 5:08 PM.

longer jail terms for drug dealers and those charged with drug related offenses and more education in the school system to help prevent young kids from wanting to do drugs.

To the people who said do drug testing on those receiving aid from the government, who is going to regulate this? i just got a positive drug test today and yet i don’t use drugs of any kind and i wouldn’t given i am 9 months pregnant but even if i wren’t pregnant i still wouldn’t touch drugs.
who will supervise to make sure samples aren’t contaminated or tampered with?
a positive drug test can come from just second hand smoke and not actually doing it so if a woman who needs assistance is hanging around someone who smokes pot and she tests positive should she still be denied? I just found out that even wearing a hemp bracelet can give you a positive drug test because when you sweat it goes into your pores. Then there is the issue of rights, it would be a violation of a persons rights to make them go for drug testing especially when labs are already overrun with the many other tests they have to do.
i think education and harsher jail sentences would be more effective.