Man, I'm sorry to hear that. They are all different. I have two older kids that I didn't have any real problems with, but this one has put me and my wife through the ringer. I know the feeling all too well. You think things are getting better and you get a call or find something and it's like getting deflated. You can feel your life leaving you.
Drugs are a different problem and one that we didn't have much problem with. What I know about drug abuse is people won't stop using until they hit rock bottom.
Again, I don't think that is your answer, but you won't get an argument from me either. I've played cop, judge and prison warden in my own home and I didn't like it. When I dropped my daughter off I was so mad, dissappointed and every other emotion you can have that I hoped that it would be the harshest environment possible. When I recovered from my own despair I was able to think it out better.
If you want to put your kid in a WASPS or if you already have done it, it's understandable. Just don't think it is going to fix him because it won't. It will get him off the streets and let the rest of your family breathe and that certainly helps. If the place is close enough to visit, I recommend you do it without calling ahead of time. Keep track of his weight as boys usually lose about 20 pounds and girls usually gain about 20 pounds because it makes it easier to keep control of them because they lose self confidence. Whatever grade he is in will be the grade he is in when he comes out because they don't actually educate teens. In my experience the school didn't have the staff to help so most kids just stare at a computer screen for hours. They can also get away pretty easily (most places) so don't think he is safe.
The problem is you are right, nobody cares about people like us. They think we are bad parents when our kids behavior goes in the toilet, but when we need help nobody is there. I find that there are a lot of parents that don't care at all and those are the kids that your child can hang with and have access to everything you try to avoid. People have suggested pshycologist and that isn't going to work. If your son tests positive for drugs there are other services. I work with someone that has a son in one and it's working very slowly, but working. It's about the same cost, but they see him at least once per week and he is now able to visit home for some weekends. There is a lot of interaction between the child and parent. WASPS use a method of isolation from the one thing the kid needs the most - Family.
I hold it to be the inalienable right of anybody to go to hell in his own way.
--Robert Frost, American poet
