4 ms·

And to be clear I don't have a problem with helping drug addicts leave drugs, the difference is they should never be allowed to be left using them without any i

And to be clear I don't have a problem with helping drug addicts leave drugs, the difference is they should never be allowed to be left using them without any intervention. So the police gets them, and gets the dealer then they either get treated or prisoned depending if its their first time or they are actually addicted.

arcticbull 4y ago
Addiction is a mental and physical health issue. Why on earth are the police involved in the first place? That's not what they're for. But a lot of what you're describing is literally the Portuguese model, which you can find out if you read the article. They can require you go to rehab depending on if it's your first time or if you're addicted. It's just not a criminal matter, it's a public health matter. Which means you have less stigma, you avoid prison, a record - and you are more likely to ask for help. We know for a fact prison is a place you can get drugs, and going there leaves you more likely to be addicted, not less, because you look to those same drugs as an escape from your prison situation.
- jacooper 4y ago
  > Addiction is a mental and physical health issue. Why on earth are the police involved in the first place? That's not what they're for. The police is going to be the first one to interact with addicts because they should be working on dismantling the entire drug network and working on catching dealers, through catching addicts/buyers.
  - arcticbull 4y ago
    > 5he police is going to be the first one to interact with addicts because they should be working on dismantling the entire drug network and working on catching dealers. Dealers aren't users or addicts. Different people. The police would not be the first to respond to them in 99% of cases. And you can dismantle the network by making it uncompetitive. Let the state sell drugs, who cares? Then the narcos die off and the network dismantles itself.
    - jacooper 4y ago
      The state selling drugs means actively endorsing them.
      - arcticbull 4y ago
        Nah, the state already taxes drugs. Same thing. It also sells alcohol while taxing the ever loving crap out of it. Nobody's going to say the state is endorsing cigarettes, alcohol and gambling. They're minimizing harm through controlled, regulated and taxed distribution. The thing is we've provided all sorts of ways for you to achieve your goal of not seeing zombies on the street without the cruelty. And yet you continue to try and find ways to invent problems. It seems like the cruelty of your suggestion may be the point?
        jacooper 4y ago
        You said it your self "without cruelty" That's the entire problem, that's why most police forces can't enforce shit against drug dealers and addicts. There is a balance, and currently its at the wrong side.
  - amanaplanacanal 4y ago
    > The police is going to be the first one to interact with addicts because they should be working on dismantling the entire drug network and working on catching dealers, through catching addicts/buyers. Isn’t that what we’ve been doing for the last 50 years? How did that work out?

arcticbull 4y ago

Addiction is a mental and physical health issue. Why on earth are the police involved in the first place? That's not what they're for. But a lot of what you're describing is literally the Portuguese model, which you can find out if you read the article. They can require you go to rehab depending on if it's your first time or if you're addicted. It's just not a criminal matter, it's a public health matter. Which means you have less stigma, you avoid prison, a record - and you are more likely to ask for help. We know for a fact prison is a place you can get drugs, and going there leaves you more likely to be addicted, not less, because you look to those same drugs as an escape from your prison situation.

jacooper 4y ago
> Addiction is a mental and physical health issue. Why on earth are the police involved in the first place? That's not what they're for. The police is going to be the first one to interact with addicts because they should be working on dismantling the entire drug network and working on catching dealers, through catching addicts/buyers.
- arcticbull 4y ago
  > 5he police is going to be the first one to interact with addicts because they should be working on dismantling the entire drug network and working on catching dealers. Dealers aren't users or addicts. Different people. The police would not be the first to respond to them in 99% of cases. And you can dismantle the network by making it uncompetitive. Let the state sell drugs, who cares? Then the narcos die off and the network dismantles itself.
  - jacooper 4y ago
    The state selling drugs means actively endorsing them.
    - arcticbull 4y ago
      Nah, the state already taxes drugs. Same thing. It also sells alcohol while taxing the ever loving crap out of it. Nobody's going to say the state is endorsing cigarettes, alcohol and gambling. They're minimizing harm through controlled, regulated and taxed distribution. The thing is we've provided all sorts of ways for you to achieve your goal of not seeing zombies on the street without the cruelty. And yet you continue to try and find ways to invent problems. It seems like the cruelty of your suggestion may be the point?
      - jacooper 4y ago
        You said it your self "without cruelty" That's the entire problem, that's why most police forces can't enforce shit against drug dealers and addicts. There is a balance, and currently its at the wrong side.
- amanaplanacanal 4y ago
  > The police is going to be the first one to interact with addicts because they should be working on dismantling the entire drug network and working on catching dealers, through catching addicts/buyers. Isn’t that what we’ve been doing for the last 50 years? How did that work out?