Drug addiction is an insidious disease. According to the American Society of Addiction Medicine, “Drug overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in the US, with 47,055 lethal drug overdoses in 2014.” Drug addiction is an issue that has effected me in the most personal way. While I have been fortunate enough to not struggle with drug addiction myself, in January of 2014, I lost someone very close to me because of it. It’s time to realize that these people dying are not just statistics; they are our mothers, fathers, brother, friends, lovers. It’s time to stop vilifying drug users. They are human beings that need compassion and medical attention. What they do not need are sentences in jail or prison and a criminal record.
According to the U.S Department of Justice, “Nearly half (48%) of inmates in federal prison were serving time for drug offenses in 2011.” There are two ways to look at this statistic. You can think about it emotionally: the lives that are effected and the families torn apart. Or you can look at it from a public spending perspective: does treatment for drug offenders cost less than prison sentences? The answer is, yes. Is it more effective in treating drug addiction? Again, the answer is yes.
A policy report written by the Justice Policy Institute titled, “Treatment or Incarceration? National and State Findings on the Efficacy and Cost Savings of Drug Treatment Versus Imprisonment”, does a great job at showing us the cost of treatment vs. prison sentences. According to their findings in the state of Maryland, the average amount spent on incarceration is $20,000 a year. On the other hand only $4,000 a year was spent on treatment for drug offenders. With a cost increase of 400%, it’s hard to argue that treatment is not the more cost effective strategy for dealing with drug offenders.
But on to the real question: does treatment work? Referencing the Justice Policy Institute’s policy report again, the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment is quoted in their final report as saying, “In summary, we observed a pattern of substantially reduced alcohol and drug use in every type of treatment modality, with reductions typically between one-third and two-thirds depending on the type of service unit and the specific measure.” This is substantial. Treatment is a way to reduce repeat offenses and to address the real problem that drug users face: their addiction.
Reform of our approach to drug offenders in the U.S is crucial. Treatment is the only sane answer to drug offenses. We need to stop punishing offenders for their addiction. Drug addiction affects individuals from all walks of life. Every race, every age can be affected. This is not a problem for someone else to deal with. Even if you personally do not know someone who struggles with drug abuse, the insane amount of U.S citizens in prison for non violent drug offenses affects everyone, on a monetary level alone. Stop the villainization of the human beings who need the most help. Treatment is the answer.
3 comments:
In one of my classmate's blog posts titled "Drug Offenders Need Rehabilitation, Not Punishment," Nicolette Loisel wrote about the treatments that drug addicts should get instead of punishments, like going to jail. Although I see very clearly her point that giving treatments is effective and also less costly, I will take a different stance on this topic and say that drug offenders should get punished.
Firstly, many drugs like marijuana, heroin, and cocaine are illegal in many states. However, they are commonly used by many people who do not have rights to possess them. The majority of those people are addicted to drugs, meaning that they violated the law and shouldn't even own them in the first place. Saying that the government should give treatment to drug offenders rather than punishment, I think, is not very effective, because then, the people who do illegal drugs would not get any punishment for breaking the law. Also, if the government provides treatment, people will not stop using drugs, because they know that they won't get in any kind of trouble even if they do drugs. Additionally, I personally believe that people who are addicted to drugs are at their own fault, and should have some consequences for doing something that they shouldn't have done in the first place. The majority of the people know that drugs are not good for one's health, and that you should not use it. If the people take that risk and still use them, I think that they deserve some kind of punishment.
If the government gives out treatments, it may save government funding and save the drug addicts' lives, but many people may think that they won't get any form of punishment even if they violate the law, and more people could use drugs. Although being addicted to drugs may not be what drug addicts want, but I still believe that they should get some kind of punishment for breaking the law. One solution to this issue could be getting treatment in jail, so that they receive proper treatment while still being punished. However, this may be challenging, since the government may not have that much money to spend.
I think that there are possible solutions out there on this issue, and despite the fact that Nicolette has some really good points and evidence, I still believe that drug offenders need to get some form of punishment.
Hi Nicolette i wrote a blog post in response of your article. :)
usgovtexas.blogspot.com
In a blogpost by my colleague Nicolette Loisel entitled "Drug offenders need rehabilitation, not punishment," she argues that the only way to solve the drug problem plaguing America is through treatment programs for addicts. She argued that drug users are real people and that punishing them with harsh jail terms only has negative effects on the users and their family and friends. She also uses facts from variously cited articles showing how not only is drug addiction treatment far less expensive than jail, it is also far more effective at helping drug users recover and become productive citizens of society. The combined use of emotional and rational appeals helps Loisel to persuade her audience, everyday Americans who are oblivious to or not effected by drug addiction, that "treatment is the only sane answer." Her concluding paragraph is effective in making others feel that action must be taken now to fix this problem.
Before reading this blogpost I was already in agreement with what Loisle was arguing. I believe her post only strengthened my views on this topic and made me more sure in my own opinions. One way she could have strengthened her argument would be by referencing drug treatment programs in place in other countries. The usage of this example would have shown that national government drug programs are very effective in reducing drug addiction. Overall though she did a great job at logically arguing her points and persuading her audience, at least me.
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