This is cynical conspiracy theory conjecture. The DEA, like an organization, has self-preserving inertia. Sure. But mostly it is hard working, well intentioned people who want to end a scourge on society. You may disagree with the policy, but that doesn’t mean the whole organization is a malevolent, self-serving farce.
I'm sure the DEA man on the street is hard-working and well-intentioned yes. My comment was more about its leadership and the political forces that created it and the current system of policy.
But I'm sure even the lowest DEA agent knows they are fighting a never-ending battle. They will never 'end' this scourge this way. The better funded they are, the more scarcity they create and thus their cartel enemies make more profits and become more ruthless and well-equipped. They will never solve this problem by force and it's the only thing the DEA is designed to do.
I'm not blaming them per se. Rather the system that created the DEA and the current policies. They are just slaves of the system like we are. No politician wants to be seen to be 'weak on drugs'. Funding 'winners' with guns is politically great. Funding help for 'losers' sleeping on the street is not. So the theater continues.
I think what's needed is a realist approach. Think about the pain and suffering some drugs cause. Prioritise there. Heroin for example is a real hard path down to destruction and death once you start. It should be banned at all costs. I totally agree there.
However meanwhile America has finally realised that Marijuana is not so bad recreationally, but why is it still a Schedule 1 drug just like Heroin?
And at the same time Cocaine is heavily used in nightclubs and bank trading floors and really has heavy addiction and long-term damaging properties (though people seem to be managing ok with recreational use) yet still it's only Schedule 2?
I don't think drugs like Cocaine and Marijuana will ever stop being commonplace. So why not just accept and regulate them? America took 10 hard years to realise prohibition didn't work, yet this time it takes far too long to get the message.
In Holland we have always lead the way on legalisation though the current government has backtracked this somewhat leading to big cartels springing up, doing gunfights on the streets of amsterdam, with people ducking for stray bullets on the tram. Sometimes it seems, the message needs to be learned multiple times.
PS: I'm saying this as someone who has never used any drugs beside alcohol.
