Slowly we are coming to realize the foolishness of our national "war on drugs" policy and that there is a more effective way to deal with the issue. Erie County's recent efforts to deal with the heroin issue are significant.

Putting people in jail and demonizing drug usage has only allowed criminals to make billions of dollars and increase violence in our country.

In his book, "Chasing the Scream," Johann Hari laid out some alternatives to our current policies. Switzerland, Canada and Portugal are just a few of the countries trying to establish policies that have not only decreased gun violence but decreased drug addiction.

[continues 67 words]