One of the most harrowing figures about the failure of our drug policy is contained in a story about "Saving Carrick" on the website of Anchorage's KTUU, Channel 2. More than 15,000 people are addicted to opiates in Alaska but there are only about 100 beds available for treatment.

The local NBC affiliate covered the staff of the Anchorage Narcotic Drug and Treatment Center watching the show. One dad had to leave the room. Three months ago, his son was finally ready to commit himself to recovery but he could not get into a program. He's still on a waiting list.

“All we can do is just keep hoping he’ll hit bottom before that bottom is six feet under,” the dad said.

What kind of a war are we fighting when we leave our casualties limping on the battlefield?