How to Quit Cocaine Cocaine was once popularly known as party drug of the rich and famous people. It is a strong feel-good and compelling stimulant that is made from the leaves of the coca plant, which a native of South America. It is considered as a high-class drug in comparison to other drugs because […]
How To Quit Marijuana Addiction Several health claims have been associated with marijuana also called cannabis in a more scientific term. Medical marijuana makes reference to using the whole, unprocessed marijuana plant or its extract to treat some indications of sickness and other diseases. In spite of that, US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) has […]
How to Break Heroin Addiction Due to its unique hit and effects, heroin addiction is one of the most common addiction. Nutty and satisfying in taste, poppy seeds are healthy oil seeds used as a medicinal plant, as well as, condiments in cooking and garnishing to bread and bagels is the same poppy plant that […]
How to Break Caffeine Addiction Everybody is aware of the dangers of various addictions such as cocaine, weed, heroine, opiates, and other drugs. However, there is one addiction that almost everyone is unaware about. That addiction would be the caffeine addiction. Caffeine is a stimulant for the brain. Caffeine is also the world’s most used psychoactive […]
The Ruthless Drug War Of Duterte “Every day, every hour, I cannot get the fear out of my chest. It’s really tiring and scary to hide all the time. You don’t know if the person right in front of you will inform on you, or if the one facing you might be a killer. It’s […]
How To Break From Your Sugar Addiction Ow that sweet, sweet sugar addiction most of us have. For most children, and even adults, sugar has been a big part of their daily diet. Some of us can’t even go through the day with stuffing our mouths with sugary treats such as candies and soft drinks. […]
“For too long we’ve viewed drug addiction through the lens of criminal justice,” Obama said at a conference in Atlanta. “The most important thing to do is reduce demand. And the only way to do that is to provide treatment – to see it as a public health problem and not a criminal problem.”
Two schools of knowledge exist when it comes to what approach must be done towards the societal problem of illegal drug addictions.
Some people believe that people who are addicted to drugs must be sent to prison. Another group believes that they must be treated the same way other sick people should be, through rehabilitation.
This post shall try to shed light on which path towards battling drug addiction should society follow.
Rehabilitating Drug Addicts Is Financially Smart for a Country
A study on the topic is shown in the journal Crime and Delinquency. It has found that sending drug addicts into rehabilitation facilities can save countries not just millions of dollars, but billions. This other post in our website shows cheaper method in rehabilitation.
The same study shows that if just as little as 10% of drug addicts in the US were rehabilitated instead of imprisoned, the US can save as much as $4.8 billion per year. Raise it to 40%, and the country is looking at an annual savings of $12.9 billion a year.
Imprisonment Is More Likely To Worsen A Drug Addict Than Fix Them
Everyone knows that prisons are dangerous for any individual. It is not an ideal place to rehabilitate a person’s addiction. This is because drug addiction is not a choice.
It is more of a biological function that cannot be removed just by plainly punishing a person. Check out another post on the dangers of incarceration to alcohol addicts.
A study has shown that 90% of incarcerated drug users went back to drugs almost immediately. The same study has shown that 60-80% of them will commit another crime. This video shows how much better it is to send drug users to rehabs than to prison.
The 1920’s Alcohol Prohibition Should Serve As A Lesson
In 1919 the 18th Amendment in the US has been ratified. It aimed to prohibit the use of alcohol in the whole United States. The amendment, however, had incredibly backfired. It gave more power to alcohol cartels and syndicates due to the higher prices and rarity of alcohol.
The same can be seen in developing countries such as the Philippines where drugs are over-criminalized. The Philippines is currently undergoing something called a “War on Drugs”. Unknowingly, their government has made their streets more violent than it was before the war started.
Different countries have tried addressing drug abuses in their sovereignty by applying an iron fist. Sadly, many authorities are unwilling to realize the negative effects of this approach to their communities.
Hopefully, by educating both the private and public sector, everyone will eventually realize that treatment is better than imprisonment.
