There is no easy solution but something has to change. I did a post here before about how educating young children about the dangers of drug abuse has not helped, and for some (my son included) was the beginning of an intense curiosity about drugs.
The main point I agree with that my friend makes below is "we need to spend the money we are spending on the war against drugs on treatment facilities and programs for those people that need it."
I don't agree with every single point he made here, (I'm not ready to legalize all drugs but definitely to legalize marijuana). I am still processing some of this, (sometimes I have to think about something for days in order to look at if from all possible angles). A lot of this goes right along with the changes that are being proposed here in the US by Senator Jim Webb and I support the changes he's trying to make.
I know that my son is doing well today mostly because he was one of the few that was chosen for a special program that actually helped him rather than putting him in an endless cycle of incarceration. Sending someone from from jail to the streets, and back to jail, with a few trips to the ER in between doesn't seem to serve many well. Its an endless cycle that leaves a person feeling worthless and hopeless. Anthony is the perfect example of this method of "treatment" which obviously doesn't help many addicts. If a trip to jail, or two or three, made a difference there would be a decrease in drug abuse, not an increase.
Here are the thoughts of my friend. I'd like to hear what you think about this:
War, what is it good for?
The War on drugs has failed. I believe this statement to be true and so does a group called L.E.A.P. (law enforcement against prohibition). A group of police and criminal justice workers, judges and the like, retired and still working that also believe this. The war on drugs has created a black market that is in dire need of regulation. Drug users and petty criminals who have tried and failed to fund their habits are being put in jail. There is not enough money in the sector to help those who need treatment.
Through the ages people find ways to get high, and whether drugs are legal or not people are going to use them. Some people believe that if there weren't any drugs that no one would use them, while other people believe that if there were more drugs then more people would use them. People are using, that's just it. Drugs are now readily available to anyone who wants them.
We need to spend the money we are spending on the war against drugs on treatment facilities and programs for those people that need it. Channeling the money into the health sector where many of the users end up anyway would support a system that is currently buckling under the strain. At the moment this sector is under funded, and cannot offer its clients the services they require. If the services were better more people would sustain prolonged periods of recovery.
We as a society need to get this issue, these problems, out in the open. The Government using mass education through the media needs to get the message out. Education is the key. The more we talk, the more we know. One drink won't kill Grandpa, one hundred will, it may sound simple and it’s something we understand. Drugs are the same. People need to talk about this. Everyone enters the social forum. We see that yes, there are underlying reasons why most people consume excessive drugs, but I believe people will be more inclined to seek the treatment if there is less shame attached. People shouldn’t be made to feel guilty for wanting to feel better about them selves. people can make their own informed decisions and this is I believe an important element in ones personal road to recovery from addiction.
If a person uses drugs I would like to think that they can get what they want / need at affordable prices just like other medications and that there is treatment available if they need it and that these issues are out in the open so that people (mainstream society / users alike) are aware of the benefits and dangers. That's the kind of community I want to live in.
I don't want to live in a world where people pay exorbitant prices for the drugs they use, or where a user has to buy drugs illegally in the street and then use alone. Where a drug user gets treated like a criminal, arrested and locked up. Where there are no available treatment options for the drug user or the waiting lists are too long. Finally, I don't want to live in a world where no one is talking about these social / health issues and the drug user can feel cut off, stigmatized or isolated.
One blog that I highly recommend if you are interested in seeing a change drug policies is:
You can read the rest here:
6 comments:
I don't understand why you think legalizing pot is ok, especially after all you have been through. I think alcohol should be illegal.
Lacey,
Because I don't think marijuana is nearly as dangerous as alcohol and its costing tons of money to convict people for possession of instead of putting that money to good use to help stop the dangerous drugs.
I know people say its a gateway drug because everyone "starts out smoking pot". Well of course that makes sense but not because it leads to other drug use. Lets say there are 100 teenagers that smoke pot and drink beer. A percentage of them will go on to be alcoholics, another percentage will go on to use harder drugs and become addicted. BUT the majority of them won't.
I know adults who prefer to have a few tokes of weed to relax in the evening rather than a glass of wine or a couple of beers. BUT - they have to sneak around to buy it and hope they don't get caught and thrown in jail whereas a drinker can stop by any store and pick up enough alcohol to fatally kill him if he consumes too much. You can't die from smoking too much pot (see below).
Also, when you look at the statistics of causes of death, alcohol is way up there (car accidents) and marijuana does'nt even show up.
I know a lot of people will disagree with me on all this, and that's okay.
From studies done in Amsterdam where its legal:
"It is actually impossible to die from a marijuana overdose because apparently nobody ever has. The government has done research on this and apparently one would have to consume 1/3 of their body weight in marijuana in just 15 minutes for the dosage to be lethal."
I totally agree with you Barbara. As you know, my husband's family has owned a bar for years and my husband ended up with the business as his Dad almost died from alcoholism. My father died from alcoholism. We see a lot of misery from alcoholism. I think the prisons are full of people that don't need to be there for growing and possessing pot. The money the State could make to build proper rehabs, etc. from taxing it, plus the money saved from incarcerating these people is astounding. People don't understand that the law does not want to lose the money they are getting to build and keep the prisons. They are not going to prohibit alcohol and weed is actually a natural substance, doesn't kill people and they can function. In an ideal world, none of it would exist, but that isn't reality. Pot is not the big concern, it is the pharmaceutical companies at this point and all the herion smugglers and dealers. I don't smoke pot or drink much ever. I will have a glass of wine sometimes. My husband does not drink at all. We don't use drugs and this is just my opinion after many years of watching and working in the system.
You're right I disagree. Smoking pot can't be good for you, if it was legal more people would do it more often, in which case there would be more health risks. Short term memory loss also. I am sure there are more. I think you haven't considered that there will be more problems if it is legal and people are using it more. Can you picture a mom driving down the street with her kids in the car, windows up smoking a joint. There are plenty that do it with cigarettes now and think nothing of the risk to their children.
I agree that the war on drugs has failed. Prohibition didn't work for alcohol. It created more dangerous situations. I don't have a solution. But as long as people want to escape from reality, there will be drugs. Education has to be a key component and has to start at a young age.
Wow, I am going to save this link; your friend wrote basically what has come to be MY entire philosophy. Oh, I'm well aware that many people find my standpoint to be "radical," but radical ideas are what bring about change. I also believe that some, if not all, drugs should be made more accessible ... and that's a whole blog post that I should do, regarding the specifics. I can tell you right now that it is MUCH harder and MUCH more expensive for me (and many others) for me to get the rx drugs I need every month ... than it is or would be for people to buy illegal drugs AND even these same "rx" drugs right out on the street. It's ludicrous.
barb, have you read "Broken" by william cope moyers? it's a great book, memoir, and the author is now a recovery and treatment advocate.
Post a Comment