I think that a nation needs to take a clear and unequivocal stance on drugs. Some are necessary, such as the medical drugs that alleviate pain and illness; some are completely un-necessary, like those that are purely ‘recreational’ Some can be either; the definitions seem to overlap where mainly recreational drugs have some medical uses and where mainly medical drugs have properties that can lead to them being abused.
It’s a sad fact that recreational drugs make their suppliers a great deal of money. It’s also a sad fact that some illegal drugs are broadly tolerated within our society. The net effect of these facts is that the illegal drugs trade is rife. Our police seem not to have the resources or power to control this illegality, which exacerbates the problem. But what’s to be done? I do see that a degree of tolerance is probably pragmatic, but it seems to me that our society doesn’t have the balance right.