Drug Use, Class, & The Great Hypocrisy: A Two-Tier System Of Shame And Protection"

In modern society, the conversation around drugs is rarely honest. It is wrapped in layers of shame, fear, and moral judgment — but most of all, it is wrapped in class hypocrisy.

At the heart of it is a painful truth: drug use is not a crime of the poor — it is a behavior of all classes. The difference lies in who gets punished for it, who gets protected, and who gets to do it quietly without the weight of stigma or state violence.

The so-called “War on Drugs” has always been a war on the working class - particularly Black and brown communities. It is not about protecting society from harm. If it were, it would focus on education, harm reduction, and treatment. Instead, it focuses on criminalising poverty.

A young Black boy walking home with a joint in his pocket is seen as a threat. A working-class mother with a drug history can lose her children. But a white man in a suit, quaffing champers and nibbling cucumber sandwiches in the Judiciary, with a cocaine habit? He’s "just letting off steam"

Police raids don’t target private clubs in Mayfair. They target council estates. There are no stop-and-searches in gated communities. There are plenty on high streets in deprived boroughs.

Let’s be honest: the rich take drugs too - and often more expensive ones. Private parties, closed doors, luxury flats, and exclusive clubs serve as their playgrounds. They can afford discretion. They know the right people. If a judge or politician is pulled over high as a kite or carrying, chances are they’ll mention their title and walk away without a search - or with a warning at most.

But a working-class teenager? Searched, arrested, humiliated with their face on social media. Because the system doesn’t protect everyone equally - it protects status and class.

Even the cultural perception of drug use is shaped by class. Rich people "experiment." Poor people are "addicts." One is forgivable. The other is shameful.

Many people still frame drug use as a moral failure. But is it really? If someone takes drugs privately, harms no one, and is just trying to cope with something or feel something different for a while - where is the moral crime? If harm exists, it’s often personal and unintentional, and it should be addressed through compassion, not punishment.

Let’s not forget: alcohol is legal, and causes far more social damage. But it’s socially accepted - not because it’s safe, but because it’s entrenched in the behavior of the privileged.

And let's be honest - even regarding alcohol, there's a difference. The poor are perceived as 'drunks'; the rich are just 'having a tipple'...

So why is one drug acceptable at the pub - or, indeed, in any one of the dozens of bars across the Parliamentary estate - and another gets you jailed by the judge who was off his nut last night?

The truth is, we do not have a war on drugs. We have a war on visible, working-class drug use. We have a society where the same behavior can destroy one person’s life and leave another’s untouched - simply because of where they live, how much money they have, and who they know.

Until we face this double standard head-on, we will continue to destroy lives under the illusion of justice. True reform starts with honesty: drugs are everywhere.

The difference is who can afford to hide it.