Posted by
Logical Party on Friday, May 09, 2008 1:00:00 PM
"You can remove the cause, but not the symptom." The thinking of the Rockefeller drug laws seemed appropriate at the time because people didn't know any better; they felt incarceration would eliminate the problem.
Unfortuantely as seen, people in distress will resort to anything as a perceived form of relief. There is a supply because there is a demand.
However we now are giving borderline slaps on the wrist to those selling drugs or caught with high quantities. Perrhaps incarceration in a drug rehabilitation center for a year wold do the trick. A person will only get better when they want to, or "get sick and tired of feeling sick and tired," but at least a longer period of time than the standard out patient, hold your breathe, 90 days will help the process by osmosis - people will relearn how to live without drugs by redundancy and monitored surroundings.
There are reasons for the slaps on the wrist, one being doing the right thing, whether its building shelters for the homeless or addressing the drug problem with long term care is more costly. Government throws just enough money at problems so it seems its doing something while hoping for the best. This only results is high recidivism rates, and like insanity, doing the same thing over and over, making it more costly in the log run as opposed to spending the correct amount and solving the problem up front.
The other reason is guilt. Alcohol is the last legal drug. We want drugs to go away in a cafeteria style manner; no more pot, heroin or cocaine, but we still want our liquor. And hurting the liquor industry would be devastating to the economy, so we weigh that fact against all who lost lives in drunk driving accidents, or have damaged their lives and families through alcoholism.
I am sure Mothers Against Druink Driving look at that bite of infiormation as a Rocky Horror.
David DiBello