Shouldn’t we stop treating nonviolent drug use as a criminal issue and started treating it as a medical one?

Question by hellafunguy35: Shouldn’t we stop treating nonviolent drug use as a criminal issue and started treating it as a medical one?
Let’s face it, the “war on drugs” is a failure. We’ve spent untold billions in the drug interdiction effort, and drugs still permeate our society.

Isn’t it time we adopted a rehabilitative approach, rather than a criminal one?

Here are some benefits:
1) Less prison space would be taken up by nonviolent offenders and therefore more space would be available to incarcerate dangerous violent felons.

2) The money spent on interdiction efforts could be either saved or if necessary, channeled into rehabilitation programs.

If we went the full drug decriminalization route, there would be some additional benefits:

1) Money that is now illegal and untaxable would be taxable.

2) There would be far less drug-related violence, as when you remove the profit motive you remove the incentive to kill others for profit.

3) Far fewer people would die of overdoses from adulterated drugs, because the drug purity would be regulated.

So why aren’t we doing the sensible thing?

Best answer:

Answer by Herschel K
I think we should treat it as a “who cares” issue unless the druggie harms someone else. Personal freedom, personal responsibility. I say if you smoke crack you are choosing to kill yourself. No one should be obligated to have their money spent to cure you of your “medical” problem.

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