It’s time to start helping drug addicts rather than throwing them behind bars
NaturalNews calls for the decriminalization of recreational drugs followed by the treatment of drug addicts and abusers through health-oriented support services (including nutrition) rather than the criminal justice system.
It is time to empty the prisons of non-violent drug offenders and compassionately offer them addiction treatment programs. As written today, our laws would condemn Whitney Houston as a felony criminal rather than someone who was only guilty of being caught up in a cycle of substance abuse and prescription drug dependence.
It is time to stop treating addiction as a criminal offense and start helping people rather than throwing them behind bars. If society’s response to drug addiction and abuse were based more in health and compassion rather than revenge and punishment, Whitney Houston might very well still be alive today, along with countless other victims of the pharmaceutical and recreational drugs industries.
Even famous singer Tony Bennett echoes this call. In an urgent and outspoken plea made last night, Tony Bennett called for the decriminalization of drugs so that drug addicts can seek help legally and compassionately, without being thrown behind bars and marginalized by society. “First it was Michael Jackson, then Amy Winehouse, now, the magnificent Whitney Houston,” said Bannett (Hollywood Reporter). “I’d like every person in this room to campaign to legalize drugs.”
This doesn’t mean that NaturalNews or Tony Bennett supports the recreational use of such drugs. I am 100% against recreational drug use, and I don’t use such drugs myself. But I also understand that drug use is a behavioral and chemical addiction, not a criminal act. The solution is found in decriminalizing drugs, regulating their distribution like alcohol, and offering treatment, addiction recovery and nutritional consultation programs for those suffering from drug addiction.
Drug users are not criminals! They are people who need medical help, counseling, nutrition and compassion. Calling them “criminals” only becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy that keeps the police state in power while doing nothing to end drug addiction.
To view the original article click here.
To reprint this article, visit the source website for reprinting guidelines