The public’s intolerance for violence is understandable as it comes with very real, heartbreaking, and lasting consequences for those impacted. The truth, however, is that in both instances of drug distribution in which harm does and does not occur, the same social factors that brought people to engage in the exchange tend to be the same. We must therefore focus our resources on addressing the underlying reasons people sell drugs. Our solution, then, must be to stop punishing people for operating in response to circumstances outside of their control and, instead, change those circumstances. One such change could include creating pathways for those most harmed by the war on drugs to be able to legally and safely distribute the substances predominantly white corporations are now preparing to profit off of.

Source: The Guardian April 29, 2023 12:55 UTC