Illegal drugs have been an issue that has plagued the United States for quite some time now. What to do about the flow of illegal drugs into the country, and the rampant use of them ended up being a massive part of the 2016 Presidential election. Trump made it one of his key platform promises to crack down on the drugs and start turning the statistics around.

So as people continue to hear and read about such drug-arrest related stories, such as the one that appeared in Utah Peoples Post regarding a car chase that led to a collision with two other vehicles and the suspect attempting to flee who was in possession of three types of drugs, people are left wondering if Trump is truly doing enough in the fight against illegal drugs.

These stories of people possessing drugs, sometimes many different types, aren’t rare, in fact if anything they seem to be growing. So, what are Trump and the government doing?

The War on Drugs Has Been Re-sparked

It seems as though 2018 was off to a robust start where the war on illegal drugs is concerned. Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions in fact put procedures and directives in place that would amp up the anti-drug policies. These were policies that were scaled back during the time former President Barack Obama spent in office.

Looking at the moves they have made, each one seems relatively small but they are banking on the fact that as a collective these policies will start to make a different in the war against illegal drugs. Many are calling these quiet, somewhat under the radar moves a “creeping escalation on the war on drugs”.

All you have to do is take a look at Session’s nomination process where he promised that he would take a hard-line approach against illegal drugs should he be nominated, and that this has been his goal all along, and it seems as though he has the backing of the President.

One of Sessions big moves in this past year was to reverse policies that allowed individual states to legalize pot, which was put into place by Obama. There are also steps in place now that allow for more “aggressive” policing, and longer prison sentences for those charges of possessing drugs, even if it is a low-level drug offender.

Taking a Hard-line Stance Against Other Countries

Trump is also now taking aim at those countries that are allowing for illegal drugs to be brought into the United States. He is threatening to cut off aid to these countries unless they get a handle on their drug trafficking. Trump went on to state that the United States is providing “billions of dollars” in aid to countries who “don’t do what they’re supposed to do” regarding the illegal drug problem.

So Are His Policy Changes Enough?

It’s clear that Trump still has his eye on cutting down the amount of illegal drugs flowing into and being used in the United States, but as to whether his policy changes will create a big enough impact remains to be seen.