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Sadly, the U.S. 'War on Drugs,' much like our other wars ('The War on Terror,' 'The War on Child Pornography' etc.), is more about bluster and misappropriated morality than about instituting effective policy.
The Swiss developed clean needle exchange programs in the 1980s in response to the HIV epidemic. Injection sites came out of that effort to keep junkies from shooting up in parks and other public areas.
See "Swiss injection rooms lead the way":
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5007962.stm
The Drug Czars have had twenty years to learn from this experiment. But they'd rather just say no, preferring to keep pouring money into programs that were doomed from the outset, but keep them handsomely employed.
Junkies and alcoholics are plunked into prison, where they can continue to decline. We'd rather have an overpopulated jails than do *anything* that might actually help a good-fer-nuttin' bloody addict!
