12/07/2025
From Tony Perkins:
If the war on drugs is ever to succeed, its focus must move beyond the criminal suppliers to the broken users who sustain the market. Reducing demand is essential, and that responsibility extends far beyond government. Drug use is fueled by social breakdown — family instability, isolation, peer pressure, economic despair, glamorizing media, and weakened institutions — and most prominently, spiritual emptiness that leaves individuals without purpose and hope.
People without hope, purpose, a sense of identity, the freedom that comes from forgiveness, and a sense of God’s presence, which gives meaning to life, often turn to substances for escape. These social and spiritual deficits reinforce one another, meaning true recovery requires restoring relationships, addressing real-world pain, and confronting the spiritual void that leads people toward false comfort.
Failing to confront the demand side of the drug crisis will only escalate the costs — to families, communities, and the nation. The real battle is not merely on the seas but in the hearts, homes, and institutions that shape the character of our people.