The drug war is its own drug

Editorial in the Salt Lake Tribune:

The drug war is its own drug. You start with a little, and pretty soon you just need more, and more, until it has consumed your life.
Unable to stem the demand for illegal drugs, and unwilling to fully fund workable alternatives such as treatment and drug courts, lawmakers around the country have become addicted to applying criminal justice solutions to a public health problem.
The result has been similar to the individual who is disappointed to find that casual use of a softish drug hasn’t solved all of his problems so, instead of getting clean, he moves on to larger amounts and/or harder drugs.

Interesting analogy. If true, you’d think people like Mark Souder would have OD’d by now…