What if Drugs Aren't the Problem?

The global war on drugs has caused untold harm. For decades, we’ve blamed drugs for everything from crime to poverty to societal breakdown. The narrative is simple: drugs are the enemy, and the solution is force.

But this story falls apart under scrutiny.

Countries like Afghanistan and Colombia have seen their economies and communities devastated by policies designed to eradicate crops that have been grown for centuries. These policies often reek of colonialism: powerful nations imposing their will from afar while avoiding responsibility for the domestic failings that drive drug-related issues at home.

Rather than invest in mental health care, housing, or education, governments have found it easier to blame drugs for complex social problems.

The uncomfortable truth

Drug use isn’t limited to the poor or marginalised. In fact, many people in privileged communities use drugs regularly, but they are rarely criminalised or exposed to unsafe supplies.

Why? Because they are seen as contributors to the economy, taxpayers, professionals. Criminalising them would undermine the myth that drug use causes poverty, rather than being one of many ways people cope with it.

Safety through education, not prohibition

At the International Harm Reduction Conference in Bogotá, we heard a call to support “consumption competence”: helping people use drugs in ways that reduce risk and increase safety.

Drugs like ketamine, for example, can be relatively safe when used responsibly. The danger often lies not in the drug itself, but in the lack of education, support, and regulation. If we had consistent quality control and honest information, we could prevent many of the deaths we see today.

The whole picture

Still, we must be honest about the full picture. Drug use can be celebratory – just think of weddings, festivals, and parties – but for many people, it’s a survival strategy. It’s how they cope with trauma, poor mental health, homelessness, or despair.

We must recognise this distinction. Middle-class advocates who use drugs recreationally can be powerful allies, but they should be cautious not to centre their own experience. The reality of drug use for someone sleeping rough, injecting heroin in an alleyway, is a world apart from the experience of someone using cocaine at a dinner party.

People, not problems

What motivates me in this work is simple: people. People in pain. People using drugs not because they want to, but because it’s the only way they know to survive. People who inject drugs on the streets not because they choose to, but because they have no safe place to go.

Government policy allows this to continue, then uses it as propaganda to further demonise those in need.

At Kaleidoscope, we work alongside people who use drugs and alcohol to design services that meet their needs, reflect their experiences, and open the door to new possibilities. We believe people deserve more than just survival – they deserve dignity, respect, and the chance to hope.

The truth is that drugs aren’t the problem. They’re often a response to deeper problems – trauma, inequality, lack of opportunity, and mental health struggles. Until we address these root causes, we’ll continue to fight a losing battle.