LOS ANGELES, USA – Robert Shapiro, a renowned attorney and entrepreneur, says for the drug pandemic to end, efforts to stop the crisis should focus on prevention. “As well-intentioned as Nixon was, the war on drugs had about as much chance of success as winning the war in Afghanistan,” says Shapiro.
According to the New York Times, the beginning of the war on drugs focused on public health. Efforts to treat and prevent drug addiction were the aim. However, that plan was soon abandoned. The answer became to incarcerate and incriminate offenders. The financing balance between criminal justice and public health programs soon changed. Everything pertaining to health, medicine, or social services was left to dangle on a string as funds for the police and prisons skyrocketed, informs the New York Times.
“The solution is not on the supply side. Regardless of how high of a wall we build or how many people we arrest, the epidemic of drugs will continue due to the economics. My view is the answer lies in the demand,” says Shapiro.
Experiencing the devastating effects of drug addiction firsthand, he suffered a loss no parent wants to face when, in 2005, Shapiro and his wife, Linell Shapiro, lost their son, Brent Shapiro, to a drug overdose. Because of their tragic loss, a passionate purpose emerged. They successfully created the Brent Shapiro Foundation to prevent drug addiction in youths. Drug use in America is at an all-time high. According to ABC News, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that over 100,000 Americans died from drug overdoses during the first year of the pandemic, a nearly 29 percent increase from the same period in 2019.
The Brent Shapiro Foundation is unique in its approach to drug addiction prevention. Children aged 17 to 18 consent with their parents to unbiased, non-invasive saliva-based drug testing at random. Each youngster earns incentives for passing drug tests, and the awards get bigger the longer they stay in the program. Each youngster receives a college scholarship upon graduating from high school and remaining drug-free throughout their membership in Brent’s foundation, states the organization. The foundation aims to remove the stigma associated with drug use and open the dialogue about drug abuse between parents and their children.
“We have successfully kept kids 11 through 18 of drugs with the rewards-based program testing. It is the only answer for parents to know if a problem is developing,” says Shapiro.
