I'm gonna disagree because in the west every city has fentynal zombies, meth heads and tweakers and all supported with facilities to enable them. Sidewalks are slammed up tent cities with feces and businesses are closing up shop.
Discussion
But is that because of the drugs themselves or an absolute lack of systems and incentives that facilitate and promote agency, ownership and integration?
The system is absolutely broken in many ways. It has to be a multifaceted approach. Drug legalization is a piece of it. With drug legalization, millions of opportunities for more ownership would be created.
Because the real problem is ownership/agency. It's very hard to own anything, ownership has never been so expensive. You can't own anything, the rich/State have it all basically.
My point is if land was suddenly free in south America a lot of more stability and prosperity would be created. This would eventually generate better families, more opportunities, stability and peace and thus create less trauma that leads someone to despair like that in the streets of LA.
I believe more economic opportunities elsewhere mean we all benefit through competition. A lot of Americans would instantly move to South America and capitalize many places with capital, knowledge, etc, etc.
Drugs are escapism. Remove people from an environment where they feel a constant need to escape but can't and many will just quit on their own. Look at the studies on Vietnam veterans heroin use in theater and how many of them quit with no help when they got home.
TDLR, force can't make anyone sober up. You have to build a world where sober happiness is possible for them.
Exactly. The incentives are all wrong.
If there was a clear path forward people would walk it. And it's not easy at all for most people to see it.