The war on drugs is certainly a problem and a big one, but I think you have to look at how the FBI has taken on crime in general from the mob to gangs. The mob and gangs both exist because of government made law. Neither can flourish or survive without supporting government intervention.
In Chicago, Aldermen depend on gangs to get elected and then thwart efforts to eliminate gangs. Gangs are populated by talented kids from families ruined by government schools and welfare, topped off with restrictive zoning, licensing, permitting and tax laws making outlaw the best option. It has to stop and I hope the pension crisis will bring these bureaucrats to their knees.
I am thoroughly convinced that the majority of poverty is a direct result of government intervention. Case after case prove this, yet it feels good to intervene and so we do.