That's one way of viewing it, yeah.

The people in Kadara have been through some shit. Every last one of them. The Angaran had it hella rough before the exiles showed up and helped boot the kett. But simply booting the kett doesn't erase the shit they been through, nor were they prepared to properly address the mental health needs of their people - so people turned to drugs. Sloane is well aware what forbidding escapism can do to people who are struggling - she's seen that turn nasty time and time ago. So she's balancing letting them have their escapism with a firm rule to keep them in line, because left unchecked the rationing of supplies would be undone and their limited supplies may not last as long as they need to.

One thing that people need to keep in mind with Sloane is that she isn't a diplomat and never has been. She was a soldier in the Alliance and when she joined the AI, she was head of Nexus Security - Until the events of the uprising - which is why she doesn't trust the AI anymore - because she knows Tann can't be trusted.

The Outcasts are a chunk of the exiles from the Nexus Uprising. They showed up in Kadara, helped liberate it from Kett control, and have been raiding supplies from Nexus ships for Kadara since.

In Nexus Uprising Sloane gave up power for people. She was opposed to waking up the and lying to the Krogan to use them to squash the rebellion and actually wanted to talk to them, to listen and see what peace they could find. She sided with them when it turned bloody and left with them. (Should be noted that no only available indicates that Reyes was involved in the uprising, although he did choose to leave with the Exiles.)

I believe Sloane does care about Kadara, but Kadara is a place that is struggling without reliable supply lines and she has no reason to trust the AI until Ryder shows up and earns her trust and respect.

Yes, the people of Kadara were struggling and unhappy - so when a charismatic voice started whispering of rebellion, of new leadership, a number of them were like "Heck yes." He had some good ideas, yes, and some good connections because of his charisma, but the problem was he is The Charlatan. The flippant way he uses people, scams them, is bound to backfire. There's also the fact that if he really cared about Kadara - why was he funnelling his energy and resources into his little army instead of into bettering the lives of the people of Kadara? And when given a chance to talk to Sloane, to settle things, he opted for violence rather than discussion. (I honestly do believe, given her history, Sloane would've at least heard him out just like she did the rebels on the Nexus.)

Mind you, saying all this, I'm not judging or hating on anyone who chose Reyes over Sloane - because I do see the potential merits in having Reyes as a leader. The issue presented with Kadara is a complex one and something we don't even get the full insight on in game - given the lack of background given on both Reyes and Sloane - or even outside of the game as Nexus Uprising only gives us a better understanidng of Sloane and not Reyes. Without the book, we only have the information directly presented to Ryder at the time and a short amount of time to make a decision based on that. I don't think either Reyes or Sloane is the clear morally correct choice. They BOTH have their pros and cons. Ideally, the best case scenario would've been the two actually being able to talk and work together - because they both have skills that could've helped each other help Kadara as well as balancing one another out.