The War on Drugs: A Parent's Plea for Compassion Over Control
- Cedric Previtali
- Jun 24
- 8 min read
My name is Cedric, and I'm the founder of True North Odyssey, where we help fathers reconnect with themselves and their families. But today, I'm writing as a father myself. I just came back from a festival and it made me think: My son is turning 15 soon, and like many teenagers, he'll likely find himself at festivals, parties, and social gatherings where drugs and alcohol are present. We do talk openly about those things and he said, he is not interested. I'll confess that apart form alcohol and the odd joint, I myself never was curious about this. And yet my recent "research" on the topic changed my opinion on the topic especially psychedelics research across the world.
As I think about his future, I face a fundamental question: Do I want a world that responds to my son's curiosity and potential mistakes with handcuffs and punishment, or with education, support, and safety? The answer is clear; I want the latter. And I believe most parents, if they're honest, would want the same. This is about my opinion on the matter.
The Reality We're Living With
The War on Drugs has raged for decades, costing millions of lives, tearing families apart, and creating a global system that criminalises rather than cares. What started as a political slogan has become an international business of fear, repression, and punishment that disproportionately affects the most vulnerable, including our children.
But here's what I've learned through my work with fathers and my own journey: repression doesn't work. Control doesn't heal. And the very system we've built to "protect" our children is putting them at greater risk.
Portugal: When a Nation Chose Health Over Handcuffs
After Portugal's authoritarian regime fell in 1974, the country opened rapidly to new freedoms. But with that came an unexpected drug epidemic. Returning soldiers brought heroin back from colonial wars, and with no infrastructure to manage it, Portugal faced one of Europe's worst drug crises. By the 1990s, nearly 1% of the population was addicted to heroin, HIV infections soared, and Lisbon's streets were littered with discarded syringes.
Portugal had a choice: double down on punishment or try something radically different. In 2001, they chose compassion and decriminalised all drugs.
This didn't mean legalisation , possession for personal use became an administrative matter handled by health professionals and social workers, not police officers.
The results were extraordinary:
HIV infections among drug users dropped by over 90% (from 1,000+ new cases annually to fewer than 60 by 2012) [Ref 1]
Drug-related deaths plummeted from 131 in 2001 to just 20 in 2008 [Ref 1]
Addiction rates fell, especially among young people
More people began seeking treatment voluntarily
It's important to acknowledge that Portugal's model isn't without its ongoing challenges and debates, particularly regarding resources and evolving drug trends like cocaine. However, the core principle – treating drug use primarily as a health issue rather than a criminal one – has demonstrably saved lives, reduced disease, and fostered a more humane and effective response. This success stands in stark contrast to the devastating outcomes of prohibition elsewhere.
The Healing Power of What We've Demonised
Not all substances are created equal, and this is where our current approach fails most dramatically. By criminalising everything, we've thrown away some of the most powerful healing tools known to humanity whilst continuing to freely sell the most harmful ones.
Research into psychedelic therapy has exploded over the past decade, revealing profound therapeutic potential:
MDMA-assisted therapy has shown ground-breaking results for PTSD, with two-thirds of participants no longer qualifying for PTSD diagnosis after just three sessions in clinical trials [Ref 2].
Psilocybin (found in magic mushrooms) has demonstrated remarkable success in treating treatment-resistant depression. A recent Johns Hopkins study showed that 67% of participants remained in remission from depression for up to five years after a single therapeutic session [Ref 3].
Ayahuasca, used safely for centuries by Indigenous Amazonian cultures, is helping people process grief, trauma, and addiction in profound healing ceremonies.
Meanwhile, alcohol, legal and freely available , kills millions annually and destroys countless families, yet we serve it at every social gathering.
Crucially, this isn't an argument for unregulated teen experimentation. The profound results cited occur in strictly controlled clinical settings with trained professionals, significant preparation, and integration support – a world away from unsupervised use at a festival. This research forces us to confront the absurdity: substances showing immense therapeutic promise under proper guidance remain Schedule 1 (deemed to have 'no medical use' and high abuse potential), while alcohol remains legal and culturally embedded despite its documented harms.
Education Over Incarceration: What the Evidence Shows
Here's something that might surprise you: education actually reduces drug use, not increases it. Studies consistently show that when people have accurate information about substances, their effects, risks, and safer use practices, they make better decisions.
Harm reduction programmes, like those run by PsyCare at festivals, provide on-site support for people in vulnerable states. Rather than calling the police, they offer compassionate care, information, and safety. The Irish Health Service Executive found that 94.2% of festival-goers reported drug use [Ref 4], but harm reduction services help ensure these experiences are safer and less harmful.
School-based harm reduction studies confirm that students with better drug education are less likely to consume substances and less likely to consume them to harmful levels [Ref 5]. When we treat young people as capable of making informed decisions rather than criminals waiting to happen, they prove us right.
Breaking the Systems of Control
The War on Drugs isn't just a failed policy , it's a manifestation of systems rooted in control, fear, and dominance, patterns often reinforced by traditional patriarchal structures. It thrives on the illusion that complex human problems can be solved through force and punishment.
While its roots are tangled (involving historical racism, political expediency, and moral panic), the enforcement mentality aligns perfectly with a masculinity defined by dominance rather than care. Traditional masculinity thrives on the illusion that problems can be solved through force. In drug policy, this has meant zero-tolerance laws, aggressive policing, and a stubborn refusal to admit failure even when the evidence is overwhelming.
But this approach doesn't just fail, it perpetuates harm. It teaches our children that authority figures respond to problems with punishment rather than understanding. It models a masculinity based on control rather than care, on dominance rather than service.
As fathers, we have the opportunity to model something different. Real strength lies in knowing when to change course. In choosing care over control. In leading with wisdom rather than fear. In essence, to love and to trust.
Through my work at True North Odyssey, I've seen how powerful it is when fathers step into a different kind of masculinity , one rooted in empathy, vulnerability, and the courage to build something better for our children. The same courage that can transform our relationship with our families can transform our approach to drug policy.
A Different Vision for Our Children
Imagine if our children, at every city and festivals had access to:
Drug testing services to know exactly what substances he might encounter
Trained peer educators who could provide accurate information without judgment
Safe spaces to go if things went wrong, staffed by people who care rather than officers who arrest
A culture that sees experimentation as natural human curiosity rather than moral failure
Imagine if the billions we spend on policing, courts, and prisons were redirected to:
Community centres offering genuine support and connection,
Mental health services accessible to all young people,
Education programmes that treat teenagers & adults alike as intelligent beings capable of making informed choices,
Research into therapeutic applications of substances that could heal rather than harm.
This isn't fantasy, we have evidence that it works. Portugal proved it. The Netherlands has shown it. Switzerland demonstrates it daily. Even within the UK, cities like Bristol implementing harm reduction approaches or initiatives like festival drug testing pilots demonstrate the viability and benefits of this model, despite operating against a backdrop of outdated national laws.
What We Can Do as Parents
1. Start conversations with our children. Not the "just say no" conversations of our youth, but real discussions about substances, risk, pleasure, and safety. Our children will encounter drugs, our choice is whether they encounter them with our wisdom or without it.
2. Challenge the stigma in our communities. When we hear people demonising drug users, we can gently remind them that these are people's children, brothers, sisters, and friends who need help, not punishment.
3. Support harm reduction organisations. Groups like PsyCare UK and the Loop provide life-saving services at events our children attend. They deserve our support, not our suspicion.
4. Demand policy change. Contact your MP. Point to the evidence from Portugal, Switzerland, and UK initiatives. Support drug policy reform organisations like Transform Drug Policy Foundation, Release or LEAP. Vote for politicians who prioritise health over punishment and understand the current approach is failing.
5. Model the masculinity we want to see. Through True North Odyssey, we help fathers embody strength through service, courage through vulnerability, and leadership through love. These same qualities can transform how we approach drug policy.
The Cost of the Status Quo
Let's be honest: the War on Drugs sustains vast systems and economies. It creates jobs across law enforcement, courts, and prisons. It generates revenue through fines and forfeitures. Entrenched bureaucracies and industries have a powerful incentive to maintain the status quo, regardless of its catastrophic human cost or lack of effectiveness.
But the real cost is our children's wellbeing, our community's health, and our society's soul.
We're not winning this war, we're perpetuating it. Drug use hasn't decreased significantly despite decades of enforcement. What has increased is the number of families torn apart, communities destabilised, and young lives destroyed by criminalisation rather than the substances themselves.
A Father's Promise
As my son approaches the age where these choices become real, I make this promise: I will work to create a world where his mistakes are met with love, not handcuffs. Where his curiosity is met with education, not criminalisation. Where his struggles are met with support, not stigma.
This is the world we can build together, not through force, but through the courage to choose compassion over control.
Through True North Odyssey, we help fathers reconnect with themselves and their families, recognising that healing happens through relationship, not punishment. The same principles that transform father-child relationships can transform how our society responds to drug use: with presence rather than punishment, understanding rather than judgment, and love rather than fear.
Our children deserve better than the world we inherited. They deserve a world where healing is possible, where mistakes are learning opportunities, and where their safety comes from knowledge and support rather than fear and control.
The war must end. Not because we're losing, but because there's a better way.
About True North Odyssey
True North Odyssey is dedicated to supporting fathers as they reconnect with themselves and their children & families through transformative experiences. We empower men to heal, grow, and lead with purpose, fostering stronger family bonds and lasting legacies. Our work recognises that when fathers embody authentic strength , strength rooted in service rather than dominance , entire families and communities transform.
Learn more at https://www.truenorthodyssey.com
Research References
Portugal Decriminalisation Results: Hughes & Stevens (2010) British Journal of Criminology ; EMCDDA Portugal Country Report. HIV infections among drug users dropped over 90% (from 1,000+ new cases annually to fewer than 60 by 2012). Drug-related deaths fell from 131 (2001) to 20 (2008). Significant reductions in addiction rates.
MDMA-assisted therapy: Mitchell et al. (2021) Nature Medicine . 67% of participants no longer met PTSD criteria after 3 sessions.
Psilocybin Therapy Long-term: Gukasyan et al. (2022) Journal of Psychopharmacology. 67% remission rate for depression at 5-year follow-up after single dose.
Irish HSE Festival Survey: Health Service Executive Ireland (2021). Survey of 1,193 festival attendees showing 94.2% reported drug use.
Harm Reduction Education Effectiveness: Champion et al. (2018) International Journal of Drug Policy . Meta-analysis showing school-based harm reduction associated with reduced consumption and harmful use.
Additional Context:
Psychedelic Safety: Hendricks et al. (2015) Journal of Psychopharmacology - Population study (130,000+ adults) found no association between psychedelic use and mental health problems.
Alcohol Harm: WHO Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health - Alcohol causes 3 million deaths globally each year.
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