Comicomment: When the American Dream turns into America's nightmare

While drug abuse is often associated with poor or war-torn countries, the United States is facing one of the world's most severe drug crises. Although home to only about 4% of the global population, the U.S. accounts for roughly 12% of the world's drug users. From the streets of Philadelphia's Kensington neighborhood to more than 100,000 overdose deaths each year, the epidemic has become a deep social wound.

Economic interests are widely seen as one reason the crisis persists. Since the 1990s, cannabis legalization has expanded, generating significant tax revenue. Critics argue that economic gains have too often taken precedence over public health.

The Manhattan Institute has also argued that the U.S. government's National Drug Control Strategy fails to fully address the government's responsibility in tackling one of the country's most serious public health challenges. At the same time, Washington has repeatedly sought to shift blame for issues such as fentanyl onto other countries.

For many, the American Dream is fading, while America's drug crisis continues to deepen. What is being buried is not only countless lives, but also the ideals the nation has long claimed to uphold.