Pretty much everyone under 50 in the US is aware that the drug war failed. Once we rule out those on the right who feel that the only reason it failed was a lack of authoritarianism, need it to justify various prejudices towards the "wrong" sort of people etc.. and the like, we come down to even vaguely centrists from a social point of view and an even wider group for economic ones (though the specifics of implementation may differ), see that this is a failed, ineffective strategy. Especially among those who define themselves as left leaning, why is ending the drug war and replacing it with legalization and regulated, affordable substances a greater political focal point?
Every historical and material example shows that prohibition is not going to be effective and brings its own problems, not to mention that the motivation for these policies were often intentional to hurt varying groups of people deemed undesirable - from the entire alcohol prohibition era until its repeal for instance, or the now famous Nixon staffer talking about how drugs were an easy way to target 'the hippies, mexicans, and blacks', the cocaine era and crack epidemic, AIDS being spread by sharing needles, and so much more. Its now common knowledge that not only did "drugs win the drug war, and continue to do so" but all the harm done by it also made profiteers wealthy, from narco traffickers who operated private armies, to the whole Iran-Contra affair and Air America black budget work in the Golden Triangle during and after Vietnam, to military-industrial complex extended to militarized policing etc. Most of the money went to a handful of people from the criminal enterprise or those ostensibly fighting it, while people paid more for worse quality, less safe products. This is no longer the kind of thing you'd only read about from some underground zine next to psychotic ramblings, its well documented and seemingly, accepted . So why are we not doing anything about it ?
It seems that the only lefties who comment on the drug issue at all are those with the myopic to just plain incorrect issue of fixating on pharmaceutical companies, doctors etc.. at fault for things like the opioid crisis, which is far from the truth. While certain companies like Perdue Pharma were guilty of malfeasance (the specifics here I can get into but the way they advertised it even to medical professionals was inaccurate ) and there were cash only "pill mill" doctors and pharmacists writing large quantities of controlled substances for patients they barely met, these were individual issues of professional and often illegal conduct that could be handled by existing structures. The bigger problems came from how in response to high profile events, crackdowns made doctors responsibly treating pain (which is MASSIVELY undertreated in our society which is also in more pain than ever thanks to a variety of factors) , afraid or even unable to treat patients, meaning some of them would go to the streets - where the actual epidemic came from. The crossover was primarily from the pill mills early on selling to those that would become dealers (known as "diversion" from legit use and Rx to the black market), but this is not what started the "epidemic" of opioid deaths and other addiction behaviors ticking up . Rather, it was the black market discovering fentanyl, which could be fabricated cheaply, and was extremely strong. Even with heroin there was massive varied quality from being "stepped on" with all matter of junk added as filler for dealers and cartels to make more cash, and a stronger product when not expected could lead to death because of uncertain dosing. However fentanyl was so much stronger even a small variation in strength vs the last batch, could be enough to kill users etc. These deaths is where the "epidemic" became an issue in the 2010s, but their response ranged from ineffective and piecemeal under Dems, to actively malevolent and punishment focused under Republicans. Now, we're looking at banning yet more "research chemical" analogues and the suppliers in China and the LATAM cartels who actually process and distribute are playing cat and mouse games, while the White House decides to blow up boats deemed to be carrying "narco-terrorists". Addiction and use of black market drugs (not just opioids but many other substances) continue up through the Pandemic era and beyond, more recently allowing questionable "addiction therapy centers" to spring up, many of which are expensive and adhere to half baked 12-step processes; those lucky enough to have health insurance cover very little in-patient offers and the kinds of places that do comprehensive therapy and medication assistance with patient comfort in mind, aren't available or affordable to many. Patients with legitimate pain management needs are having their doses restricted by doctors who are afraid of state controlled substance boards and the FDA intruding, all predicated on a garbage FDA document that was originally intended for dosing patients short term and with no opioid experience/tolerance that came about in the 1st Trump term. To his credit, Biden did alter it slightly but like everything else insufficient, plus the damage had already been done; insurance companies (atop the rest) now used those standards for what they'd cover, meaning patients who couldnt' pay out of pocket would not get their meds much of the time. This, right at the time where pharmacies often refused cash payment for controlled substances because they were told that was what evil drug dealers did etc . These are barely scraping the surface of the issues, not to mention things like how areas that decriminalized certain usage now are pushing for more police presence because "drunk/high people are laying/leaning everywhere and leaving needles and broken glass in public areas etc) . Its problems atop problems.
It seems a perfect time for the Left to make this a priority. We have the last decade of the Marijuana/Cannabis experiment to prove that despite the cries from the right, there was no Reefer Madness. THere were issues in the implementation especially given how monied entities started investing in wider pot fabrication and distribution, but that can be solved if we just go the last 10% and ensure true legalization everwhere, but most of the work is done. The next thing to focus upon is other drugs. I'd advocate for a program of regulated legalization, where the substances are legal to possess and use, but who and how they can be bought, or manufactured for widespread sale, can be regulated properly similar to other intoxicants, be it for medical or recreational use.
Dispensing with the fear around many substances and the insane prohibition that has pushed potentially helpful drugs off the market for fear of how they may be abused will also allow research into making them safer. We've had relatively little development in drug segments thought to be the "fun kind abuse or addictive" and even specific refusal to make drugs safer and less physically addicting, for fear it would be "less of a deterrent thus leading to more abuse"! Its completely insane. Just like when we legalized alcohol again, we had a stunning drop in the amount of people turning up blind from drinking some adulterated paint thinner sold on the black market or some idiot using lead liners in their beer or wine brewing, we'd see users trend away from black market garbage in favor of safer, standardized alternatives. You'd have many fewer overdoses if you knew that every pill or vial was going to have consistent strength; not to mention prohibiting harmful additives and anything not disclosed on the label. They could all be made far cheaper too, especially if leftists made the issue a focal point; perhaps even have certain cultivation or manufacture dedicated to being at-cost for the public benefit. There could also be taxes and fees specifically designed to support addiction support services built in, a better version of the "sin taxes" that alcohol and cigarettes utilize. Investing in greater addition support and prevention treatments would be a part of it - infact, some of the very drugs that are illegal currently have the potential benefit of helping rewire the brain to contend with physical dependence as well as psychological dependence; ibogaine, a hallucinogen has shown promise for decades and despite it being not a "party drug" in any way or particularly fun, still requires going to another country to hope you find someone capable of providing ibogaine therapy, legally. MDMA has huge benefits to PTSD and other psychiatric issues if used correctly, but outside very limited trials its illegality has driven recreational users into more harmful meds masquerading as the hard-to-synthesize-properly MDMA, most of which are some combination of amphetamine or other unknown assortment meant to mimic what its "supposed" to feel like.
There are many other factors that could be discussed, but legalization and regulation done properly would lead to a massive improvement to quality of life for average person, obliterating many of the criminal elements that the Right fixates on in order to scare the populace into compliance, and otherwise benefits society. While there will be issues and friction - the initial apparent "increase" of drug users or adverse effects for instance is likely to be simply converting what used to be unreported into something that can be tracked even without a legal or medical calamity - it seems a worthwhile element. There are many groups that have been particularly harmed by the drug war in the past, from sexual or racial minorities to the disabled and patients who find their care restricted by insurance and fearful practitioners alike, but much like with the repeal of alcohol prohibition it will likely have wide ranging benefits across many strata of society if done right. It seems like a simple focal point for leftist political actors to grab hold, identify how capitalist exploitation and authoritarian puritanism alike have pushed a knowingly bad policy for decades in the hopes it will harm "the wrong people, and its all their fault for being weak enough to be harmed in the first place".