And the essence of what they said involved either jail or treatment. There was nothing new at all. It was all about politically correct positions.
As an addict since the fifties I believe there are alternatives besides jailing addicts. Because that hasn't helped. When addicts get together in jail they strengthen their network of connections. They learn how to find the best dope. And today 60-70% of the millions in jail are non-violent addicts.
And the other part of drug laws is that they haven't slowed or stopped the flow of drugs. Anyone reading this can find their drug of choice in a short time. We live in a sea of dope.
So now that I have all this criticism, what's my answer? Or am I just mouthing off?
Actually, I don't have anything new. But there are experiments going on in other countries that seem to work. For example, Switzerland has been giving addicts free heroin for 20 years.
This experiment has reduced addiction, lowered the crime rate, lowered new AIDs cases. Plus it's deglamorized the use of heroin among young people.
And there are drugs in the United States, such as Suboxin, that allow patients to live a normal life. Vivitrol is another drug that lowers alcoholic craving for up to a month. But there's still some resistance to dealing with substance abuse by substituting other drugs.
I'm not an advocate of any kind of drug. But I also hate to see us waste time and money on things that don't work.
Whatever we can do to reduce the harm addicts do to themselves is worth pursuing. But it has to be aimed more at treatment and harm reduction. Punishment hasn't worked.
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