Quote:
The thing about the Portugal example that's often left out is the compulsory treatment that accompanied decriminalization. Yes, you don't get criminally charged with drug possession, but it's also not just some free for all. You have to report for treatment, there are drug tests, and you can be locked up (not in prison, but in a treatment facility) for failure to comply.
Our approach of just letting crackheads roam free to cause chaos while simultaneously increasing the availability of drugs is the worst of both worlds; and I say that as someone that thinks recreational drug use should generally be legal.
|
This really hit home for me. A few years ago, my former bosses (very conservative) were talking about the homelessness/drug addiction issue. They proposed that "those people should be locked up and forced into treatment, if it doesn't stick the first time you lock them up again and repeat cycle until it does".
At the time, I was shocked. My response was "you can't treat people like that, they have rights", etc. But as I've watched the situation degrade over the past few years, I'm starting to believe more and more that they had a point. I've recently stopped taking the train altogether, and willingly pay triple the cost of getting to work (100 dollar bus pass vs. paying for parking downtown) so that I can avoid sitting in front of a person on the train who is passed out and urinating on themselves.
I am very compassionate towards individuals struggling with mental illness, and who are generally "going through it".... but ultimately, this has become a significant safety issue. It also says alot about what we're willing to tolerate as a society.