> Is this true? Congress made heroin illegal in 1924, 99 years ago, and the “heroin epidemic” didn’t really start until maybe 2010
Yes [1].
Law-abiding Americans became addicted to prescription opioids (wave 1). We clamped down on their distribution, particularly prescription, and left those addicted with no legal choices. They turned to heroin (wave 2). So we clamped down on its distribution, particularly import, and so got concentrated (easier to ship) and synthetic (no unique precursors) fentanyl (wave 3).
You may not agree with the solution chosen but it seems as a society we've decided on death as the long term strategy. Eventually these addicts will simply die off.
I'm sure having some of your family die off because everyone else seemingly deemed them as a worthless junkie whose only use is dying before they take up too much resource won't drive others to be miserable and start consuming drugs...
Thing is drug abusers will turn to the next thing and the next thing. You can only get abusers clean if you take them through a system that enables it. Decriminalizing doesn't improve it either. Like any drug there will be new inventions and flavors circulating.
Criminalization of drugs, but not of all substances is a must. Alcohol and marajuana are certainly okay. But again criminalization is the only way to ensure people get the attention they need. We just need to change the way we jail people.
In Thailand you get two options go to jail or go to a temple and get clean.
