Brutal.

I've twice now ran across books with a *really* nasty idea of how to stop the drug problem. In the latest novel I've read with this idea..the character just suggests it. In the older one the villain of the book actually goes through with it. Read and boggle.
In the novel in which the character actually goes through with it he has a problem..he has to find a slow acting toxin and figure out where in the chain to intro it into the supply. since they use gasoline in the process of making coke..he intro's it into the gas. It's slow acting [about a week..maybe 2 IIRC] and lethal as hell. He watched before hand to figure out how long it would take to get into the distribution chain and hit US shores. He then made up bulletins to send to the papers anonymously to warn the drug users this poisoned crap was coming..go find help and get off of it or suffer the consequences. The druggies of course don't believe him and start dying off..in job lots. He then plans to lay low for a while to see what happens. Where the demand goes next in the drug world. He actually figured it would be heroin that would get a jump in sales next IIRC. Alas one of the other drugs they decide to spike is E and one of his minions jumps the gun and starts selling their supply of the poisoned pills. BEFORE the furor over the poisoned coke has a chance to go away and give the users/addicts a false sense of security. 'hey it was just coke they poisoned, no problem.'
Anyway...the idea obviously, was to get people to stop using drugs since going after the growers and sellers doesn't accomplish jackshit as long as there is demand, there will ALWAYS be growers and suppliers and those willing to become both. They figured out that if you took the addicts/users out of the equation, either through their fairly painful deaths or their checking into rehab to get off the shit; the problem of the growers and distributors would solve itself and go away. no money, no profit. whats the point of growing and selling the shit right?
A thought provoking, utterly brutal and ugly concept. Oh as a side effect of the poison drugs...strays and family pets start disappearing because the druggies are using the poor animals to test the stuff they buy on the animals. to make sure its not poisoned. if the animal survives all well and good. if not..'hey man you sold me bad shit!' Instead of getting help of course. In the novel by the end..IIRC drug use across the board, dropped off and stayed dropped off by about 80%

Just food for thought and discussion.