I am 77, and I find myself recalling a statement by then leader of Soviet Russia, Nikita Khrushchev, to the effect that Americans should be on guard because the capitalist attitude that we were so enamored of would eventually cause our downfall. He said that our love of money and shiny new things could become a poison. At the time I was young and naive, and I laughed. And many others laughed, some because like me they thought it was a ridiculous idea, some laughed nervously because they knew there was substance in what he said. Much of what we are seeing today has come about because of a unhealthy, distorted love affair with wealth and power. Yes, many of us have been snoozing, trusting in the integrity and honor of people who have little by little sold their own honor and our well-being for a bigger piece "of the American Dream". It is up to us now to reframe that dream in a way that includes fairness, true justice, protection of our constitutional rights, ethics and transparency in government, business, and the financial sector, and a commitment to open dialog and heart-centered wisdom as we grow toward One Multi-National Family with Freedom, Justice and Opportunity for All.
I think that big pharma needs to be held accountable not in a punative way but in a proactive way , by funding sober living house's, where people that want out of the life style, can go and live but first they go through , detox, then rehab, third stage is sober living where they can live for at least 18 months . This place is where they can go and get into 12 step programs, support groups , go to school and get mentors that are further along in recovery. It would also cost tax payers money, but Im ok paying more tax if it helps people build connections and stay sober/ clean.
The more I think about the so-called war on drugs, the more I’m with the Mexican president on one simple point: if America won’t deal with its own appetite, it will keep blaming everyone else for feeding it.
We talk supply like it’s the whole story. We chase shipments, smash labs, stack arrests. And still the hunger stays. Because the hunger lives here.
Fixing demand doesn’t mean sloppy “anything goes” legalization. Oregon showed what happens when you wave the green flag and call it progress. You don’t get healing. You can get more use, more chaos, more people slipping through the cracks.
It also doesn’t mean harm reduction done dumb—needle drops with no roads out, “safety” without a plan for sobriety, dignity, and work. Keeping people alive matters. But keeping them alive just to keep them using is not mercy. It’s surrender.
Demand is personal, but it’s also local. It’s the neighborhood. The schools. The broken families. The lonely men and women. The bored kids. The untreated bipolar and trauma. The quiet shame. The lack of purpose. The empty hours.
So if you want to shrink demand, you don’t just police the borders. You build something people want to belong to. Community-level programs that hit the real roots. A whole-person approach—mind, body, and spirit. Not slogans. Not shortcuts. Real work. Real connection. Real recovery.
Yes. A plan and support for sobriety is absolutely essential. Here's what I saw as an Oregonian in our failed attempt at changing our drug laws. There was ZERO investment in recovery. Consequently, the change failed.
Thank you Marianne for a brilliant articulation of truth during a time when lies have become the rule rather than the exception—running rampant in every nook and cranny of American society.
It is hard for me to decide which part of this whole mess is most disturbing.
I can't get the image out of my head of the widows of some of the men who were killed in this latest attack.
There they were in their very humble homes. They said, "Why are we living in these conditions if (our husbands) were narco traficantes,"?
I hate the way the US bullies others, especially the developing world!
Today, the amazing technology we possess can and does have a downside of alienating us from one another socially.
There is so much money behind those investments that we don't confront and demand that the tech sector police itself from further isolating us from one another.
It can be argued that the isolation and alienation leads into the addiction issue. Then moneyed interests can use that to fight it's ill conceived and executed "drug war,".
We have so much to look in the mirror and reflect on.
I would encourage you to read Gabor Mate's 2022 book, "the Myth of Normal - Trauma, Illness & Healing in a Toxic Culture". An earlier book, "In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts" (American Edition) previously published the Canadian Edition entitled "Close Encounters with Addiction" One reviewer wrote: "A riveting account of human cravings, this book needs to get into as many hands as possible. Mate's resonant, unflinching analysis of addiction today shatters the assumptions underlying our War on Drugs."
Well said. I believe this is mostly about the authoritarian oligarchs trying to get control of Venezuelan oil. This is a petro-political move being carried out by very weak men cos-playing at being tough guys. I am affirming Hegseth at least being charged with war crimes. I know I shouldn't be surprised but I continue to be amazed that MAGA-types continue to overlook shit like "being tough on drugs by blowing up fishing boats while pardoning a KNOWN DRUG LORD". What a truly disgusting phase for our country.
Marianne I agree with your sentiments, particularly, when you wrote: "We don’t need to fight drugs so much as we need to build up lives." So true. It has been my observation that most individuals, who get pulled-down early in life is due to their feeling unloved, neglected, or abused. Many achieve a form of external success; yet, still feel unworthy inside so they resort to addictions.
To me, it all gets back to valuing a material world more than what's really important: having a life of true meaning with love. It reminds me of my favorite Nat King Cole song when he sings, "The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return."
Your words Marianne herein are exceptional. I enjoyed reading it! Joan
Thank you, Marianne, for your thoughtful analysis of the situation and for clear vision of how we can move forward out of this mess. Removing the desperation from people's lives would do so much to lead us in a better direction and I know how hard you've been working to get us to see. Bless you.
My radical view is across the board legalization for usage of any substance. This should include widespread free needle distribution in the hotbed areas of addiction. A perfect fix? Of course not. But it would help eliminate the stigma attached to a problem that's existed for hundreds of years, while redistributing funds to scientific based treatment for those who want it.
Synthetic opioids were only invented because the War on Drugs briefly caused a painkiller shortage in the 60s or 70s. So, Fentanyl never would have existed if not for that "war."
Thank you, once again, for using your wisdom, compassion, and platform to help wake people up, Marianne. Society is so slow to change. But we ARE God, so we must just keep on keeping on. You help me keep on keeping on. Blessings
I am 77, and I find myself recalling a statement by then leader of Soviet Russia, Nikita Khrushchev, to the effect that Americans should be on guard because the capitalist attitude that we were so enamored of would eventually cause our downfall. He said that our love of money and shiny new things could become a poison. At the time I was young and naive, and I laughed. And many others laughed, some because like me they thought it was a ridiculous idea, some laughed nervously because they knew there was substance in what he said. Much of what we are seeing today has come about because of a unhealthy, distorted love affair with wealth and power. Yes, many of us have been snoozing, trusting in the integrity and honor of people who have little by little sold their own honor and our well-being for a bigger piece "of the American Dream". It is up to us now to reframe that dream in a way that includes fairness, true justice, protection of our constitutional rights, ethics and transparency in government, business, and the financial sector, and a commitment to open dialog and heart-centered wisdom as we grow toward One Multi-National Family with Freedom, Justice and Opportunity for All.
I think that big pharma needs to be held accountable not in a punative way but in a proactive way , by funding sober living house's, where people that want out of the life style, can go and live but first they go through , detox, then rehab, third stage is sober living where they can live for at least 18 months . This place is where they can go and get into 12 step programs, support groups , go to school and get mentors that are further along in recovery. It would also cost tax payers money, but Im ok paying more tax if it helps people build connections and stay sober/ clean.
I LIKE this!
The more I think about the so-called war on drugs, the more I’m with the Mexican president on one simple point: if America won’t deal with its own appetite, it will keep blaming everyone else for feeding it.
We talk supply like it’s the whole story. We chase shipments, smash labs, stack arrests. And still the hunger stays. Because the hunger lives here.
Fixing demand doesn’t mean sloppy “anything goes” legalization. Oregon showed what happens when you wave the green flag and call it progress. You don’t get healing. You can get more use, more chaos, more people slipping through the cracks.
It also doesn’t mean harm reduction done dumb—needle drops with no roads out, “safety” without a plan for sobriety, dignity, and work. Keeping people alive matters. But keeping them alive just to keep them using is not mercy. It’s surrender.
Demand is personal, but it’s also local. It’s the neighborhood. The schools. The broken families. The lonely men and women. The bored kids. The untreated bipolar and trauma. The quiet shame. The lack of purpose. The empty hours.
So if you want to shrink demand, you don’t just police the borders. You build something people want to belong to. Community-level programs that hit the real roots. A whole-person approach—mind, body, and spirit. Not slogans. Not shortcuts. Real work. Real connection. Real recovery.
Yes. A plan and support for sobriety is absolutely essential. Here's what I saw as an Oregonian in our failed attempt at changing our drug laws. There was ZERO investment in recovery. Consequently, the change failed.
Thank you Marianne for a brilliant articulation of truth during a time when lies have become the rule rather than the exception—running rampant in every nook and cranny of American society.
It is hard for me to decide which part of this whole mess is most disturbing.
I can't get the image out of my head of the widows of some of the men who were killed in this latest attack.
There they were in their very humble homes. They said, "Why are we living in these conditions if (our husbands) were narco traficantes,"?
I hate the way the US bullies others, especially the developing world!
Today, the amazing technology we possess can and does have a downside of alienating us from one another socially.
There is so much money behind those investments that we don't confront and demand that the tech sector police itself from further isolating us from one another.
It can be argued that the isolation and alienation leads into the addiction issue. Then moneyed interests can use that to fight it's ill conceived and executed "drug war,".
We have so much to look in the mirror and reflect on.
I would encourage you to read Gabor Mate's 2022 book, "the Myth of Normal - Trauma, Illness & Healing in a Toxic Culture". An earlier book, "In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts" (American Edition) previously published the Canadian Edition entitled "Close Encounters with Addiction" One reviewer wrote: "A riveting account of human cravings, this book needs to get into as many hands as possible. Mate's resonant, unflinching analysis of addiction today shatters the assumptions underlying our War on Drugs."
I read them both
Yup, great books!!
Guess who’s the biggest addict of all? Addicted to so many things including Ambien to sleep and Adderal to wake up. Biggest addiction? Lying!
Lying to ourselves in so many cases!
Well said. I believe this is mostly about the authoritarian oligarchs trying to get control of Venezuelan oil. This is a petro-political move being carried out by very weak men cos-playing at being tough guys. I am affirming Hegseth at least being charged with war crimes. I know I shouldn't be surprised but I continue to be amazed that MAGA-types continue to overlook shit like "being tough on drugs by blowing up fishing boats while pardoning a KNOWN DRUG LORD". What a truly disgusting phase for our country.
Wouldn't it be so sad to have yet another over oil!!!!!
I would argue that the war on drugs was not a failure. It did exactly what it was intended to do.
The failure is that we ever allowed it to happen.
So true.
Still is unfortunately.
Which is exactly why we need to be thinking about a different ending to the story.
Marianne I agree with your sentiments, particularly, when you wrote: "We don’t need to fight drugs so much as we need to build up lives." So true. It has been my observation that most individuals, who get pulled-down early in life is due to their feeling unloved, neglected, or abused. Many achieve a form of external success; yet, still feel unworthy inside so they resort to addictions.
To me, it all gets back to valuing a material world more than what's really important: having a life of true meaning with love. It reminds me of my favorite Nat King Cole song when he sings, "The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return."
Your words Marianne herein are exceptional. I enjoyed reading it! Joan
Thank you, Marianne, for your thoughtful analysis of the situation and for clear vision of how we can move forward out of this mess. Removing the desperation from people's lives would do so much to lead us in a better direction and I know how hard you've been working to get us to see. Bless you.
If he was concerned about all the drugs in the U.S., he would not have pardoned Honduras’ former President, Juan Orlando Hernandez!
My radical view is across the board legalization for usage of any substance. This should include widespread free needle distribution in the hotbed areas of addiction. A perfect fix? Of course not. But it would help eliminate the stigma attached to a problem that's existed for hundreds of years, while redistributing funds to scientific based treatment for those who want it.
Synthetic opioids were only invented because the War on Drugs briefly caused a painkiller shortage in the 60s or 70s. So, Fentanyl never would have existed if not for that "war."
"Nothing is so important as that at the end of all this, we start over on higher ground. How to do that is a conversation we should be having now."
i agree. i would love to have that conversation with you. Here's a bit about me:
https://peakd.com/@atma.love/who-am-i
Thank you, once again, for using your wisdom, compassion, and platform to help wake people up, Marianne. Society is so slow to change. But we ARE God, so we must just keep on keeping on. You help me keep on keeping on. Blessings