3 ms·

Solution is easy. If you’re visibly publicly intoxicated with hard drugs, you go to a special rehab that’s essentially prison without the violent criminals. If

Solution is easy. If you’re visibly publicly intoxicated with hard drugs, you go to a special rehab that’s essentially prison without the violent criminals. If you’re already a violent criminal, you get put into a segregated area. You then get forcibly treated. If youv’e stayed clean for a set number of months, you get to leave. None of this shows up on any permanent/criminal record.

janalsncm 3y ago
Agreed. I will add that we’ve come full circle on psychiatric hospitals, which is essentially what you’re describing in different words. Budget cuts and deinstitutionalization meant many of those were closed down 50 years ago.
- xref 3y ago
  In no small part because psychiatric hospitals were wildly, wildly abused. Basically you could lock people up indefinitely with no conviction of anything because someone said they’re a danger to themselves/society/whatever. Basically used like an on-shore Guantanamo.
  - lupusreal 3y ago
    Simple solution; require convictions. The problem wasn't with locking up junkies, the problems was doing it without due process. Create laws against public drug use, then enforce them.
  - huytersd 3y ago
    Set them up again but increase inspections and have maximum times you can keep a person there.
zztop44 3y ago
Christ, I’ve been visibly publicly intoxicated with hard drugs on a number of occasions (many years ago) while holding down a respectable middle class professional job (and being good at it!). If I’d been forced into months(!!) of rehab I’d have lost my job and had to move cities and/or change industries (it’s a small world and people talk). And the scariest thing (for me personally) is that even if I knew that was a potential outcome, I don’t think it would have stopped me. And I wasn’t a junkie or hopeless addict by any means.
- huytersd 3y ago
  You can probably make the same argument for someone with an alcohol DUI but we still deal with that issue severely. We need more of that here.

janalsncm 3y ago

Agreed. I will add that we’ve come full circle on psychiatric hospitals, which is essentially what you’re describing in different words. Budget cuts and deinstitutionalization meant many of those were closed down 50 years ago.

xref 3y ago
In no small part because psychiatric hospitals were wildly, wildly abused. Basically you could lock people up indefinitely with no conviction of anything because someone said they’re a danger to themselves/society/whatever. Basically used like an on-shore Guantanamo.
- lupusreal 3y ago
  Simple solution; require convictions. The problem wasn't with locking up junkies, the problems was doing it without due process. Create laws against public drug use, then enforce them.
- huytersd 3y ago
  Set them up again but increase inspections and have maximum times you can keep a person there.

zztop44 3y ago

Christ, I’ve been visibly publicly intoxicated with hard drugs on a number of occasions (many years ago) while holding down a respectable middle class professional job (and being good at it!). If I’d been forced into months(!!) of rehab I’d have lost my job and had to move cities and/or change industries (it’s a small world and people talk). And the scariest thing (for me personally) is that even if I knew that was a potential outcome, I don’t think it would have stopped me. And I wasn’t a junkie or hopeless addict by any means.

huytersd 3y ago
You can probably make the same argument for someone with an alcohol DUI but we still deal with that issue severely. We need more of that here.