There's a war going on in this country. This war has prompted enormous spending, several billion just this year alone. What adversary are we combating, you ask? Why, we are fighting the scourge of illegal drugs.

While people tend to believe the goal of reduced drug use is a good one, they take issue with the current methods used. A Zogby poll released Oct. 2 of last year reported that 76 percent of likely voters believe we're losing the war on drugs. When asked for the best method to combat drugs, no option breaks 30 percent, with support divided between legalizing drugs, stopping drugs at the border, reducing demand through treatment and education and preventing drugs from being manufactured.

I dare say there is no clear public opinion mandate for any one solution. So let's talk strategy. Drugs are sold on a market, so applying market principles sounds like a good start.

Markets are really good at making supply meet demand at the right price. Cutting down on the supply looks good on paper. It makes headlines like "DEA interdicts one ton cocaine shipment." Police departments can report they made drug arrests and got drugs and dealers off the street. It makes drugs more scarce and harder to get. Also, prices go up, which is a mixed blessing and the trouble with primarily targeting drug traffickers.

As price goes up, demand doesn't decrease quickly. Drug addicts often need the drugs more than they need the money. This is why the government thinks it is OK to charge smokers taxes on cigarettes amounting to 42 percent of the total cost, according to statistics collected at Tobaccofreekids.org. This will only increase when the latest tobacco bill comes into effect in January.

Tied in with that is supply. Consider the following all-too common situation: A broken family living in the slums is trying to get by, but doesn't have a steady income. They can choose to try finding employment, but who will hire them? Or ... they can push drugs to make ends meet. With the drug prices artificially inflated by law enforcement, there is a pretty big price incentive for new dealers to come in and fill any vacuum, especially if it means food on the table.

If targeting the drug supply doesn't work, then why not legalize drugs? When I think of ways to make a market inefficient, the government immediately comes to mind. However, legalization has never made anything less common. Also, a huge regulatory agency would be built to license sellers, distributors and manufacturers. The government will get even bigger, jack up an excise tax and not cut down on drug use.

The last option presented was reducing demand. With a lower demand for drugs, prices fall, profit margins fall and fewer people use drugs. This is the end result the other methods have been trying to get to in a roundabout way. The tricky part is implementation. Right now the government has the DARE program and there are "my anti-drug" ads. Clearly it isn't working.

To be more effective, the underlying causes of drug use should be examined. Inner cities are usually the trouble areas for drugs, and drug users often come from broken families. Cutting down on the demographics that are correlated to drug abuse would certainly help with demand. This means faith-based initiatives, heavy recruiting for good inner-city teachers and programs designed to give those kids a chance at life. It also means promoting a stable nuclear family. Having two parents in a family has a huge effect on the crime and drug abuse rates of their children.

A government devoted to actually winning the war on drugs could do with some reevaluation on methods. Yes, keeping drugs out of the country is a good idea, but it is only a part of the work government should be doing about keeping human traffickers, arms smugglers and terrorists from sneaking across the border. Education and drug rehabilitation are important to reducing demand. What the government really should do, though, is help the cities and fix the broken families.

The war on drugs as currently prosecuted isn't going well. A look at fixing the root causes can breath new life into the solution for an old problem.