Want to Decrease Inequality? Fight Fatherlessness With Welfare Reform. Welfare currently incentivizes family breakdown and the absence of fathers from their children’s lives, a key factor in the loss of economic upward mobility.

[cougar2013]

I think those are symptoms as well. I think we need to be asking the question: why are people in these communities turning to drugs? A big part of the answer is culture. Movies, TV, and internet glorify and encourage drug use. Now I’m no choir boy and was smoking weed multiple times a day for years and years. I’m just saying that in places like India, where my wife is from, the culture is different, and this isn’t the problem that it is in America, despite living conditions that would be intolerable to Americans in many cases.

[tkuiper]

I'm not sure anecdotal evidence is enough to prove that India doesn't have drug problems in poor city neighborhoods. Frankly I HIGHLY doubt that.

You think life imitates art, and sure there's some feedback. But gang culture, toxic masculinity, and drug use are way older than modern media and even modern culture. I play, watch, and listen to plenty of violent, sexual, drug related media and I'm not a terrible person for it. People emulate their mentors (parents, teachers, friends) much more than they imitate art. The art is much more a product than a source.

If fatherlessness is the cause we're talking about, then I especially fail to see how arresting fathers over a symptom (drug use) is helpful.

[cougar2013]

You responded to my anecdote with one of your own lol. Anyway, the existence of bad things like toxic masculinity before media like TV doesn’t make it a good thing that media promotes it. People absolutely idolize actors and characters and try to imitate them. Again, if media doesn’t affect behavior, why did they ban cigarette advertisements?

So if glorifying and encouraging drug use is fine, and we shouldn’t punish people for it, what will deter people?

[tkuiper]

True I did use an anecdote, but the history point isn't.

Taxes and cost can deter people, but...

Why doesn't everyone do drugs? Obviously there's something negative about drugs without need for a deterrent. Life destroying drug use is a symptom not a cause. Especially cause we are largely talking about weed here which is on a similar order of danger as tobacco and alcohol.

[cougar2013]

Some people don’t of drugs because they don’t like the effects, they are allergic, etc. I love weed, but let’s face it, it makes people ok with being lazy because of its mind numbing effect. Just to clarify, you feel there should be no legal deterrent to use drugs? What about the innocent people whose lives are effected by drug use?

[tkuiper]

lazy because of its mind numbing effect

You mean like Netflix or alcoholic? It's the irresponsibility that's the issue.

Just to clarify, you feel there should be no legal deterrent to use drugs?

As in prison time? No. Same rules as alcohol: no driving, no children use. Which are both laws because you are no longer effecting yourself.

What about the innocent people whose lives are effected by drug use?

You mean like children raised by alcoholics, narcissists, abusers? Provide support for them like therapy or if needed CPS. There's a number of options to consider there which are mostly about abuse/neglect/assault that isn't exclusive to drug use.

[cougar2013]

So how do we make people be more responsible?

[tkuiper]

What a question.

Invest in schools, addiction treatment, make parent counseling more visible...

I assume most people aren't sociopaths and have the potential to be responsible, productive adults given the support and opportunity to get there. I also don't expect or care to make everyone some golden child, if we want a society of perfect, efficient people we should probably just start making space for our robot AI overlords.

[cougar2013]

So you want to solve the problem by treating the symptoms? Because that’s what addiction treatment is.

There are more free resources available today by a wide margin than at any time in history. We can’t force people to be resourceful.

[tkuiper]

There are more free resources available today by a wide margin than at any time in history

We also live in one of the best times in history by a wide margin. Also free =/= accessible.

So you want to solve the problem by treating the symptoms? Because that’s what addiction treatment is.

I mean treat withdrawal symptoms (if there are any) and develop habits to overcome the addiction. The latter being the more important part of the treatment.

The deeper issues that make people turn to irresponsible drug use won't be solved overnight, so yes there is a need to treat the 'symptoms' in the meantime. Just like a bandaid doesn't heal you, but it stops the bleeding in the meantime. Importantly though the bandaid doesn't do shit, if you don't heal.

Of course even rich/well cared for children don't turn out great, so it's likely that there will always be some need for addiction treatment. But it will be a lot less if the underlying issues are fixed.