This issue hits too close to home for me, nothing here is directed toward anyone as criticism.
When it comes to addiction, some wrongly use words like “ignorance”, “bad choices”, “stupidity”, etc ... to describe why an addict engages in dangerous behavior that may cause his own suffering, permanent injury or death ... and the addict “gets what he deserves” ...these words are irrelevant. Perhaps these words arguably may be relevant when the first drink / dose / hit / drop / toke / snort is taken, but not relevant once addiction has set in.
Substance addiction is a progressive disease. For those who think I might be making an excuse for addicts, I pre-emptively respond - I am not.
Addiction causes great pain, suffering, crime, financial costs, imprisonment, etc .. the cost to the addict’s loved ones, the families, neighborhoods and communities, and hence to our nation. In the election of 2016, Trump not only brought this issue forward, but led/leads it. And it looks like he is getting traction. There were BHO in the WH, and HRC the nominee - basically doing and saying nothing, or doing and supporting things (like open borders) that makes a bad situation worse. We citizens cannot sit on the sideline and look at this through Darwinian glasses. For a dose of reality - go to the front lines to the places that try to help the addicts, or their families. If that doesn’t move your heart and mind, and maybe action, then things are even worse for our country.
We have a friend and neighbor whose daughter became a heroin addict. Maybe meth too, not sure. He has tried over the years to help her and her poor children in every way possible.
The result?
She’s still an addict, pimped our her children, been involved with LE numerous times, runs away from rehab, involved in crime constantly, and finally stole so much from her father that he won’t let her near his house any more.
All his help did was cause himself and daughter at home mental anguish and great financial loss, and addict daughter refused all real help and just used the helpers for whatever she could get from them by trickery, deceit, threats or outright burglary.