Safer Solutions: Is Prohibition the Solution to the Complexity of Substance Use?
Developing policies to prevent, manage, and treat substance dependence is complex, with different stakeholders having varying priorities and perspectives that often conflict.
This complexity can lead to a simplistic solution: "Just get rid of the substances!" However, this approach often results in heavy regulation, criminalization, and/or prohibition.
Consider the example of alcohol prohibition in the early 1900s, which initially led to a significant decrease in use, but consumption quickly rose again before stabilizing at a level somewhat lower than before Prohibition.
Consumption remained roughly at this level even after the 21st Amendment reversed the ban.
The question remains: is prohibition the best solution? The answer is not straightforward, and instead, raises another question: "Succeed at what?"
Author's summary: Prohibition may not be the best solution to substance use complexity.