These people have to eat and pay rent. This is their careers. The long march through the institutions began long before Rudy Dutschke outlined the strategy. The only way the lazy could live relied on gifted jobs in government positions. That’s what spawned the war on drugs, as well as all the other programs enacted in the 20th century.

Here’s a money quote from the linked article:
“The DEA’s decision to make deep cuts in the national quota for opioid production only exacerbates the situation.”

So true. One effect not mentioned is that dirty drugs are going to move off the streets and into the hospitals as patients resort to self-medication.

This drug war has been an enormous net negative for the country. And yet it keeps expanding. As if its promoters are addicted to the rush of power, money, and fear. Who are these people?