Addiction is a Disease and should not be Treated as a Crime

Being an addict is not a choice. Addiction is a disease and should be treated like one. The

Medical Definition of Addiction:  Compulsive physiological need for and use of a habit-forming substance (as heroin, nicotine, or alcohol) characterized by tolerance and by well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal; broadly :  persistent compulsive use of a substance known by the user to be physically, psychologically, or socially harmful—compare habituation (Merriam-Webster Dictionary).

Portugal has decreased the amount of drug abuse related illnesses and death by offering treatment to drug users instead of jail time. They decriminalized drugs in the personal use of addicts; the law for drug dealers and traffickers remains in place. This new approach to dealing with addiction has been successful in decreasing the amount of deaths from overdose and HIV caught from using dirty needles to inject heroin, cocaine, and other injectable drugs (Vastag, B., 2009, 5 Years After: Portugal's Drug Decriminalization Policy Shows Positive Results, retrieved from ScientificAmerican.com ).

(Photo courtesy of banana1015.com)

Portugal was the first country to try this new method of dealing with addiction. Spain and Italy have jumped on the same bandwagon and have decriminalized illegal drugs among personal users. I believe if addiction were treated like the disease that it is, our country would also be successful in lowering drug overdose deaths and HIV cases. This new plan of action could save numerous lives. Not only could it save lives but it could save "lives"

by eliminating drug charges of persons who suffer from addiction. When an addict gets his/her addiction under control and tries to live a normal life, the past can come up and bite them in the butt. I know this from personal experience.

The Pew Research Center surveyed 1,821 Americans. The survey asked, "In dealing with drug policy, should government focus more on providing treatment for people who use illegal drugs such as heroin and cocaine, or do you think it should focus more on prosecuting people who use these types of drugs?" (Beck, J., 2014, Treating Drug Abuse as a Disease, not a Crime, retrieved from TheAtlantic.com)

Gray segment represents 7 percent undecided. (Pew Research Center)
Photo retrieved from TheAtlantic.com

They answered: 26% believe in prosecuting drug users while a whopping 67% believe providing treatment would be a better choice.

 Americas problem with drug addiction could be solved by providing adequate treatment. I believe helping someone "get better" is morally correct. Why should addiction be treated any different from the other diseases? You don't see people in jail to treat depression, so why is addiction being treated with jail? America is supposed be the land of opportunity not the land of condemnation. The primary objective is to rid the USA of drugs. If there were less active addicts that would mean fewer clients of drug dealers leading to fewer sales and less profit. The drug dealers would have a harder time making money with fewer drug users. People sell drugs because it is easy money, eliminate active addiction and eliminate drug problems. Curing all the addicts is slim-to-none but America needs to at least try harder.