Drug Addiction; Crime Or Disease? The War On Drugs

                             Is drug addiction best treated as a crime or as a disease?  We have tried the former, and have yet to try the latter.
                             Here are some of the results of keeping drug addiction in the hands of the criminal justice system: 1. It has promoted the growth of a huge black market in drugs that has allowed gangs to become rich, powerful and spread all across the United States.  2. It has promoted the growth and expansion of terrorist organizations from the drug black market.  3. It has diverted enormous law enforcement resources into a war against drugs that never gets won, and that allows other crimes to not be properly addressed by this diversion of resources. 4. It has contributed to the erosion of values and the growth of corruption, including in law enforcement entities. 5. It has marginalized and criminalized an entire population of drug addicted people that are seen as criminals, not as people in need of medical intervention.  6. It has destroyed entire communities outside of the United States and contributed to the destabilization of countries.  7. It has contributed to the growth and expansion of gangs, terrorists and criminals not only inside, but also outside of the United States. 8. Entire neighborhoods in the United States are controlled by gangs, which are the dominate socializing force for many children and teenagers. These gangs will lose their stranglehold if they lose their drug money.  9. Violence has grown from the illegal drug market. 10. Street drugs are often adulterated and have sickened many.
                              What fifty year old man will want to be an active gang member if there is no money in it? What grown man will want to stay as an active gang member if there is no money in it?  Not a lot. Drug money is the bloodline of gangs. Without drug money, gangs and many terrorist organizations will immediately be weakened.
                                There is an alternative.  It is not pretty. It is imperfect. It is far from ideal. But it is far better than the existing situation. What follows is a summary of the alternative. If you disagree, and think it is better to leave things as they are, do not despair. Many will agree with you. Gangs and terrorist organizations also do not want things to change. And neither do many of the  people  that profit or are employed by this so called war against drugs that never advances.
                                Moving drug addiction into a medical model and away from the criminal justice system is an idea already well established. Here is a summary of how it can be implemented:
                                 A drug addict will go to a medical clinic designed for addiction. Over a period of time, the drug addict will leave urine samples to prove that he or she is an addict. A one time urine sampling is not sufficient. Once it is determined that the person is addicted, he or she will be provided treatment options to overcome the addiction. In that treatment will not work for many, the drug addict will be provided the option of receiving the drug to which they are addicted at the clinic. If the person is addicted to cocaine or to heroin, the drug will be provided at the clinic. The person will then take the drug at the medical setting. They will not be allowed to take the drug with them to be used at another time or to be sold or given to someone else.
                                By providing cocaine or heroin to drug addicts in a medical setting, the drug addict will be treated as a patient with an addiction disease. This will allow the drug addict to carry on with a relatively normal life.  By not buying drugs from the streets, drug addicts will no longer be consuming drugs that are often adulterated, and that ends up making them sick or putting them into hospital emergency rooms. The drug addicts will buy the drugs from the clinic based on a sliding fee scale.
                                By removing the drugs from the black market, gangs and many terrorist organizations will immediately be deprived of their major income sources. Gangs will immediately lose their powerful grip on communities. Violence and crime will start to go down.
                                There will be the problem of lost generations of people that have lived in the black market criminal underworld of gangs and drugs. Drug dealing has been a major employer for many. Alternative employment and training into the legitimate world will need to be provided. The United States will have to wake up to the fact that there is a widespread, criminal, disenfranchised world of people that need to be trained and reintegrated into society.
                                  In the same way that diabetics and people with chronic diseases are not required to stop using their injections or other medications, drug addicts will similarly be treated as chronically diseased patients. However, at all times drug addicts will be provided treatment options to shake their addictions. It will work for some, but there are many people that will use drugs all their lives. It is better that they get these drugs in a medically regulated setting instead of from the streets. It is healthier for them, and it effectively destroys the criminal black market world of drugs.
                                 Marihuana, which is not considered an addictive drug like cocaine or heroin, will have to be addressed differently. It should be heavily taxed, regulated, and treated differently than the medical model that will be used for cocaine and heroin addiction. Marihuana use that has proven medical benefits for certain people with diseases will be treated as a medicine .
                                 At no time will the use of any drug be allowed on the public way. Driving while under the influence will remain criminal for both drugs and alcohol. Drug use will never be acceptable for certain jobs. Drug testing will continue for occupations where no drug use can ever be tolerated, such as in law enforcement, transportation (pilots, vehicle operators, etc.) and more.
                                 Regarding addictive drugs that are pure poison, like crystal meth, which causes immediate brain and organ damage, mandatory treatment must be made available for users of such a drug, and heavy criminal penalties for the sellers of such drugs. Selling a drug that is so detrimental to the human body should be elevated to a form of aggravated battery or attempted murder.
                                 Moving heroin and cocaine out of the criminal justice system and into the medical realm is greatly flawed. But leaving heroin and cocaine in the hands of the criminal justice system is even more flawed
                                  During prohibition, when alcohol use was prohibited in the United States, gang violence exploded. Organized crime grew exponentially. Finally good sense prevailed, and alcohol was made legal. Was this the right thing, considering the untold thousands that die from alcohol, drunk drivers, and alcohol related accidents?  It was the right thing because prohibiting alcohol enriched and strengthened gangs and criminals, and it did not stop people from consuming alcohol. Corruption grew on many levels. Leaving alcohol as a legal substance is far from perfect, but the alternative is even worse.
                                    We should learn from history. Gangs have grown exponentially with the growth of narcotics. And now we have the worldwide threat of terrorist organizations. Many of these terrorists are fund by the drug black market.
                                    Drug addiction is a disease. It is time to stop pretending otherwise. As long as so many resources, so much time and energy is squandered on the war on drugs, getting tough on crime will remain an illusion. The drug war has resulted in destroyed communities inside of the United States, destroyed communities and countries outside of the United States, strengthened gangs, strengthened terrorist organizations, adverse ecological consequences by the use of herbicides in Colombia and elsewhere, the marginalization and criminalization of drug addicts who are forced to deal with criminals to feed their habits instead of medical personnel and the health risk this entails, and the growth of corruption.