Greetings All –

We were sitting around shooting the sugar the other day when the topic of the War on Drugs came up. Dave asked me what my position was, and I actually stopped to think about it as I was suiting up for another round of Diablo II on Battle.net.

The first thing I realized is that if I started telling him what I thought, he’d finally have the thin edge of the wedge that he’d been looking for (Dave’s been bugging me to write a column for over a year now). I’d be back in the harness, slaving for someone else, meeting deadlines again, blah, blah, blah. But, Fiona and I had just whacked Duriel good; I was on to Act III, and feeling like I could take on the world. A really bad spot from which to maintain a cold and sober mind.

Which brings us to where we are, good people. I’m roped, saddled and broke in, ready to do my master’s bidding. Here’s my short take on this war.

My view is complicated by such factors as personal history, difference betweens Then (types of drugs, 60's culture, etc.) and Now (middle aged man looking back, types of drugs available now, current drug culture, etc.), what exactly you mean by War on Drugs, etc. In many ways, what I participated in was harmless, while in other ways I feel like I dodged some serious bullets. I'd be scared to death if my kid was using, because of all the changes between Then and Now, but then I'd be scared if she was engaged in unprotected sex, too. Things are very different now. There's much less margin for error.

As far as The War on Drugs goes, my layman's view is that it seems to be a war on the drug user and, to a certain degree, even the local drug dealer. Have we committed the necessary resources and political will to address the core issues that foster drug abuse? Not really. Then what are we doing? IMHO, we're using/wasting resources in a haphazard fashion for political gain. So what else is new? It's like paying $50 per handgun turned in to "get guns off the streets", the IraqNam War, or Amnesty Day at the Library. Good for show and PR, but not as effective as it could be.

So, that’s my Big Fat Opinion for this week. Give me a reason to go on living by sharing yours. Until next week, heed my Weekly Words of Wisdom:

"The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit. The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are."

-Marcus Aurelius

And if you think that’s easy, Mister you’re a better man than I.

Want to talk about it? Go to the messageboard. Or email me at mmtym@detroitbuzz.com.