“It is cheaper to rehabilitate an addict than to send them to prison, so criminalisation doesn’t even make economic sense.”
part of rehabilitation is hitting bottom. For many folks, this means several trips to jail, prison, hospital or what not. I’m not talking about confinement on YOUR terms, like these stars who “check in”, I’m talking about losing everything, and doing some real time.
further, as a society member, I’m not too concerned about rehabing a person, unless they want to be rehab’d, I’m concerned with getting drug addicts off the street where they can cause harm to me or my family, or themselves and their families (often their own children).
As someone who put the cork in the bottle many 24 hours ago, I will tell you, that you cannot force anyone to rehab. Those that try are beating their heads against a wall. I have never in my sober career seen anyone really rehab, that didn’t want to. I’ve seen plenty go through the motions, and get released by the courts, but they were right back again, using, until they either hit the morgue, or hit bottom hard enough to want to sober up.
It makes no economic sense to send people to rehab who don’t want to be there. It just don’t work.
(but let me be clear, the feds have no business in the drug war, it is a states right and power)
It makes even less economic sesne to put them in prison where the expense is much, much higher.
What would make sense is charging those who sell drugs as a profit making business on par with a murder sentence - no parole, 15 year minimum sentence. Selling would be defined as with the intent to make money, not those selling to support an addiction.