We need to “Decrease Illegal Narcotic DEMAND, not just SUPPLY”. President Trump’s plan to secure our borders probably would help reduce supply of illegal heroin and other illegal drugs coming into the United States. But that isn’t good enough by itself. Why? Reduced supply raises the price of illegal drugs. Higher prices lead to greater need for crimes by addicts to be able to afford their drugs. And, higher pries increase the incentive to drug smugglers to try to get the drugs into our country.

How do we solve this? Imagine if fewer people were addicted. Imagine if fewer people believed they had to have their next narcotic dose. Imagine if the demand for illegal drugs, and even the demand for legal versions such as prescription narcotics and Methadone in clinics, were to get lower and lower. Crime and addiction would fall. The price that illegal drugs could be sold for would decline.

Yes! Let’s reduce the DEMAND for narcotics, not just the SUPPLY!

How? When I worked in Methadone Clinics as a physician I discovered that virtually all of the narcotic addicts who were not just party users looking to get high, were people who believed they needed the narcotics to calm their stress levels, to feel better. We all follow our beliefs. If we believe we need the narcotics, we get and take the narcotics. When we believe we don’t need them any more, we can easily and gradually wean ourselves off the narcotics without even going to a detox facility. And, stopping narcotics because we no longer believe we need them, is a permanent stoppage.

All of the Methadone clinic patients taking that narcotic legally asked me to wean them off their Methadone, which we did in two weeks or less, once I explained to them that there was just one thing they needed to change in their lives. They needed to tell themselves that it is okay to tell trusted friends and family what was troubling them, what was causing anger, disappointment, sorrow, regret, or any other negative emotions. After all, they were willing to listen to the troubles of their friends and family, so why not get rid of their own emotional garbage, and reduce their tensions, by telling their emotional woes to those same friends and family? It worked!!

Somehow the narcotic addicts had come to believe that it is wrong to tell others about their negative feelings, and the causes of those emotions. The result? Stress and emotional pressure built up, and they discovered excellent relief if they would simply take a dose of narcotic! Addiction resulted. But now you know the cure!!

Much lower demand would make the import of illegal narcotics useless. Bad for that business, and a dangerous one, too! Crime rates would fall, as would the health problems, costs, and law enforcement costs.

For those still addicted, Methadone Clinics will help, and making narcotics legally available at low prices and in limited quantities, at designated pharmacies, should be done based on registration of clearly identified addicts with ID cards and medical verification. Street sales should still be illegal, of course, but with the system I recommend, street sales would become rare indeed.

Thank you for your attention to this blog.
Your friendly problem solver,
Dr. Ed Marshall