Quickly scanning the comments in the failed War On Drugs article, I did not see one idea expressed~ That being, while there is plenty to say against the punishment/incarceration response, "locking people up" does actually do one beneficial thing. And I personally would be opposed to decriminalization for this reason.
Addictions are death grips. People cast them moral terms, emphasizing "choice". This is not correct. ALL CHOICE exits at the time of physical addiction. Okay, not all choice, but once addicted, the brain is so physically altered to favor continued addiction that the odds are not good. Not good at all.
Taking people away from their lives and locking them AWAY from their habits and their junk forces a period of inability to use. And, often they are given a choice of rehab or further lock-up. Yes, it is true that people in rehab at the behest of a judge etc. are likely to just be putting in effort for the moment, maybe not as committed as you'd like, maybe a guaranteed fail, or maybe the outside compulsory "change" just hasn't really "met" with an overwhelming inner need yet.
BUT in enough cases, the break provided (forced upon) some people WILL give them reassessment time. No one can say that many people haven't reached their Personal Worst (necessary in order to work for change) in that jail cell. IN this regard fines don't cut it. Smug jokes about dis-employing dealers etc. are not funny if you've ever looked a recovering meth addict in the eye ,heard them talk about loosing their sense of taste (forever) and seen the places where they used to have teeth. Heard them talk about wanting to see their kids or even their cat again if they can get clean enough to convince a judge. Or even heard people talk with eerie detachment about the times they almost died. As if it were not even themselves they were talking about.
Addictions do unfathomable damage to so many people, and we are so flippant about it. So casual. O Too stuck in college dumb-ass mindsets, and on our way to "Drinking Liberally" etc. as we rail on about the "grip of the alcohol lobby".
Jail is hard and horrible, but you get some time, maybe a case worker, some referrals, a bit of support that in so many cases DOES NOT EXIST in the "fuck-up's" life at home. Too bad Liberals! being arrested can be the best thing that ever happened to a person. Fines don't cut it. Do we need a better more realistic system than we have now? Yes. But a parking-ticket approach is irresponsible and yes, uncaring. Probably even less effective in individual lives than the "War".
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Quickly scanning the comments in the failed War On Drugs article, I did not see one idea expressed~ That being, while there is plenty to say against the punishment/incarceration response, "locking people up" does actually do one beneficial thing. And I personally would be opposed to decriminalization for this reason.
Addictions are death grips. People cast them moral terms, emphasizing "choice". This is not correct. ALL CHOICE exits at the time of physical addiction. Okay, not all choice, but once addicted, the brain is so physically altered to favor continued addiction that the odds are not good. Not good at all.
Taking people away from their lives and locking them AWAY from their habits and their junk forces a period of inability to use. And, often they are given a choice of rehab or further lock-up. Yes, it is true that people in rehab at the behest of a judge etc. are likely to just be putting in effort for the moment, maybe not as committed as you'd like, maybe a guaranteed fail, or maybe the outside compulsory "change" just hasn't really "met" with an overwhelming inner need yet.
BUT in enough cases, the break provided (forced upon) some people WILL give them reassessment time. No one can say that many people haven't reached their Personal Worst (necessary in order to work for change) in that jail cell.
IN this regard fines don't cut it.
Smug jokes about dis-employing dealers etc. are not funny if you've ever looked a recovering meth addict in the eye ,heard them talk about loosing their sense of taste (forever) and seen the places where they used to have teeth. Heard them talk about wanting to see their kids or even their cat again if they can get clean enough to convince a judge. Or even heard people talk with eerie detachment about the times they almost died. As if it were not even themselves they were talking about.
Addictions do unfathomable damage to so many people, and we are so flippant about it. So casual. O Too stuck in college dumb-ass mindsets, and on our way to "Drinking Liberally" etc. as we rail on about the "grip of the alcohol lobby".
Jail is hard and horrible, but you get some time, maybe a case worker, some referrals, a bit of support that in so many cases DOES NOT EXIST in the "fuck-up's" life at home. Too bad Liberals! being arrested can be the best thing that ever happened to a person. Fines don't cut it.
Do we need a better more realistic system than we have now? Yes. But a parking-ticket approach is irresponsible and yes, uncaring. Probably even less effective in individual lives than the "War".
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