--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: America’s longest war is the war on drugs." description: "\"“America’s longest war is the war on drugs.”\" — Don Winslow" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a13/don-winslow-3586_drugs_america-s-longest-war-is-the-war-on-drug_1238426.png" --- # America’s longest war is the war on drugs. ![“America’s longest war is the war on drugs.” quote by Don Winslow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a13/don-winslow-3586_drugs_america-s-longest-war-is-the-war-on-drug_1238426.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a13/don-winslow-3586_drugs_america-s-longest-war-is-the-war-on-drug_1238426.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a13/don-winslow-3586_drugs_america-s-longest-war-is-the-war-on-drug_1238426.png) > ““America’s longest war is the war on drugs.”” [Don Winslow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-winslow/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The war on drugs has become the United States' longest ongoing conflict, surpassing traditional wars in duration and impact. **In simple terms:** Drug war is the US's longest conflict. Key Takeaway Recognize and address systemic issues. Themes policy conflict society law enforcement health Mood critical reflective Type analytical political When to use this quote - government policy - law enforcement - public health initiatives - community activism Key Concepts Addiction criminal justice public health economics Questions to Reflect On - How can society shift from punitive to rehabilitative approaches? - What incentives drive continued drug enforcement? A Different Perspective Efforts may be hampered by political interests and funding constraints. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America Longest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america-longest-1490892/) [Drugs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drugs/) [Longest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/longest/) [Longest War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/longest-war-828792/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [War Drugs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war-drugs/) [War on drugs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war-on-drugs/) [Wine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wine/) ## Related quotes > [America is the longest argument in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-moyers/america-is-the-longest-argument-in-the-world/) [Bill Moyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-moyers/) > [A trillion dollars spent, 2,000 American lives lost - Afghanistan is the longest war in American history. 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That's certainly better then no drugs at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/our-government-s-got-a-war-on-drugs-that-s-certainly-better-then-no/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“The first casualty of war is truth, and the war on drugs is no different”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-milton-trott/the-first-casualty-of-war-is-truth-and-the-war-on-drugs-is-no/) [Dominic Milton Trott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-milton-trott/) > [“In the War on Drugs, shoot heroin first.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-beeny/in-the-war-on-drugs-shoot-heroin-first/) [Eric Beeny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-beeny/) > [The war on drugs is a joke. 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But every time one of these things happen, we say the same thing, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-winslow/we-need-to-do-something-about-gun-violence-in-america-but-every-time/) [Don Winslow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-winslow/) > [And the most dangerous place on earth - Is where you’re safe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-winslow/and-the-most-dangerous-place-on-earth-is-where-you-re-safe/) [Don Winslow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-winslow/) > [So I thought I should write five pages a day. And that's what I did. 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I love my genre and I love those writers,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-winslow/bookstores-never-seem-to-know-where-to-put-me-on-the-shelves-but-i-do/) [Don Winslow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-winslow/) > [Shane Salerno and I adapted my book Savages together, and I learned a lot about adaptation. I think it's an extremely difficult thing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-winslow/shane-salerno-and-i-adapted-my-book-savages-together-and-i-learned-a/) [Don Winslow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-winslow/) > [I've been writing since I was six years old. It's hard to imagine stopping. I would hate to think that I've already written my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-winslow/i-ve-been-writing-since-i-was-six-years-old-it-s-hard-to-imagine/) [Don Winslow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-winslow/) > [I lived in mafia neighborhoods off and on when I was a kid. 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But I also think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-winslow/i-think-people-will-be-surprised-at-some-of-the-things-about-the/) [Don Winslow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-winslow/) > [“There are the gods of place and the gods of commerce, and if you have to bet who’s going to win out, put your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-winslow/there-are-the-gods-of-place-and-the-gods-of-commerce-and-if-you-have/) [Don Winslow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-winslow/) [Explore all 125 Don Winslow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-winslow/) ## More Drugs quotes > [You find out so many interesting things when you're not on drugs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boy-george/you-find-out-so-many-interesting-things-when-you-re-not-on-drugs/) [Boy George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boy-george/) > [Who said we take drugs? we're just lacking fate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cath-chatto/who-said-we-take-drugs-we-re-just-lacking-fate/) [Cath Chatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cath-chatto/) > [We have drugs to make women speak, but none to keep them silent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-france/we-have-drugs-to-make-women-speak-but-none-to-keep-them-silent/) [Anatole France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-france/) > [not all drugs are good.. some of them are great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/not-all-drugs-are-good-some-of-them-are-great/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [A pill to make you numb, a pill to you make you dumb, a pill to make you anybody else, but all the drugs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-manson/a-pill-to-make-you-numb-a-pill-to-you-make-you-dumb-a-pill-to-make/) [Marilyn Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-manson/) > [“People aren't crazy, they’re just reacting normally to an abnormally crazy world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-s-b-morse/people-aren-t-crazy-they-re-just-reacting-normally-to-an-abnormally/) [J.S.B. Morse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-s-b-morse/) > [Raves when it was safe to be free & wave your hands in the air, like you didn't even care! Not scared to break…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/progrezza/raves-when-it-was-safe-to-be-free-wave-your-hands-in-the-air-like-you/) [Progrezza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/progrezza/) > [Rock n roll is about drugs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-manson/rock-n-roll-is-about-drugs/) [Marilyn Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-manson/) > [If you don't think drugs have done good things for us, then take all of your records, tapes and CD's and burn them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/if-you-don-t-think-drugs-have-done-good-things-for-us-then-take-all/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [I don't like drug, but drug like me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ammar-farini/i-don-t-like-drug-but-drug-like-me/) [Ammar Farini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ammar-farini/) > [“If Barack Obama had come up in a time when the drug war was being waged as intensely as it is now, we probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-hart/if-barack-obama-had-come-up-in-a-time-when-the-drug-war-was-being/) [Carl Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-hart/) > [“Whenever the wife wants to do drugs, she thinks about Sartre. One bad trip and then a giant lobster followed him around for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-offill/whenever-the-wife-wants-to-do-drugs-she-thinks-about-sartre-one-bad/) [Jenny Offill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-offill/) > [“The W. M. Keck Observatory is the only employer that has surprised me during my employment with urine tests for illegal drugs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-w-m-keck-observatory-is-the-only-employer-that-has-surprised-me/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [I think religion is bad and drugs are good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/i-think-religion-is-bad-and-drugs-are-good/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [You're my drugs because you help me see the beauty of life upside down and you help me escape the ugliness of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-re-my-drugs-because-you-help-me-see-the-beauty-of-life-upside/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 1,085 Drugs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drugs/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“America’s longest war is the war on drugs.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Don Winslow" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-winslow/america-s-longest-war-is-the-war-on-drugs/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Drugs" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-winslow/america-s-longest-war-is-the-war-on-drugs/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a13/don-winslow-3586_drugs_america-s-longest-war-is-the-war-on-drug_1238426.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a13/don-winslow-3586_drugs_america-s-longest-war-is-the-war-on-drug_1238426.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a13/don-winslow-3586_drugs_america-s-longest-war-is-the-war-on-drug_1238426.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“America’s longest war is the war on drugs.” — Don Winslow", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Don Winslow", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-winslow/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“America’s longest war is the war...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-winslow/america-s-longest-war-is-the-war-on-drugs/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-winslow/america-s-longest-war-is-the-war-on-drugs/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```