Drug use and abuse is a growing problem in America and worldwide. Governments using organizations such as the police are not enough to protect people. Each individual, family, and community must take responsibility for their own security. The first step is education – learning how to protect ourselves and others from drug-related problems.

By Mark D. Harris

Drug use and abuse grow ever more deadly across the nation and the world. Tsunamis of opioids, marijuana, cocaine, stimulants, and a host of others flood borders in the US and Europe, carried by an international class of drug mule who will stop at nothing to make money, grow in power, and get a fix. Despite billions of dollars invested in prevention, education, treatment, and law enforcement, drug use disorders and environmental harms are getting worse.[1] Mafias, hostile governments, geopolitics, and corruption come together to keep people enslaved to these substances. For example, the Chinese mafia controls much of the marijuana trade in the US while the Chinese government, always hoping to weaken America, lends a hand.[2] In one example, Oakland police officer Samson Liu owned a house that police raided and found eighty pounds of illegal marijuana.[3]

Most people do not have a drug problem, but we are all still impacted by those that do. Our neighborhoods can become unsafe. What can individuals do to protect themselves from drugs and its consequences, specifically in the places we live? Identifying drug activity in your neighborhood can be challenging, as those involved often try to keep their activities hidden. However, there are various indicators of drug-related activities. Remember that some of these signs could have innocent explanations, so it’s important not to jump to conclusions based on limited information. Report your concerns to local law enforcement rather than investigating yourself.

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