Letters to the Editor: Is military action really the most efficient way to help American drug users?

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To the editor : President Trump is threatening to attack Venezuela and apparently considering the same for Colombia, supposedly because it supplies cocaine to U.S. citizens ( “In Colombia, anger and disbelief at Trump threats of U.S. strikes,” Dec. 3). Cocaine use is a problem for many people and drug addiction can ruin a person’s life. But is using the military the right answer?

According to the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health , about 1.5% of Americans ages 12 or over (4.3 million people) used cocaine in the prior year. How much are we spending to help these people?

Mark Cancian, a senior defense advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, r