From my (admittedly quite limited) observations and experiences, drugs seem to be at the root of a large proportion of crime, at least in the UK. A whole underworld economy is based on addiction. Theft, robbery,smuggling, money laundering etc are all linked to the drug trade. I have read that most of the prostitutes here are heroin addicts, as are their pimps and partners. Before this drug era, (eg in the fifties) crime was a simpler problem. If one could discover just what drives young people to take drugs, and do something about it, society would be a much safer place. Probably there is something missing in their lives which drug-induced states alleviate temporarily. Addicts I spoke to in prison told me this, they welcomed drugs as an escape from the unbearable reality of their lives. Why are our children so ill inside? And what can we do to prevent this?