The abuse of illegal drugs ought to be treated as a matter of public health, not of crim jus

SOR: I affirm the resolution: Resolved: The abuse of illegal drugs ought to be treated as a matter of public health, not of criminal justice.. VALUE: Deontology. Which course of action will serve the greater good? Is a human being not a human being? When we incarcerate a human being due to use of illegal drugs, we are bascially throwing away a human being. OBSERVATIONS: Drugs are medicines, which fall under the medical field. The use or abuse of drugs, either legal or illegal, is clearly a medical matter that should be handled by medical professionals, not the justice department. Our Federal Government contains 3 branches, the executive, the legislative, and the judicial. Within the executive branch are 15 cabinets, 2 of which are the Department of Justice and the Department of Health & Human Services. Each serves a distinct purpose, independent of the other. I ask you judges, "When you have a toothache, do you call the dentist or the police department?" CRITERION: Cost Benefit Analysis. The AFF will demonstrate that not only is treating drug abuse as a medical matter instead of a criminal matter the right thing thing to do, but also that it makes fiscal sense as well. DEFINITIONS: I think although the wording of the NFL resolution is a bit enigmatic (illegal drugs notwithstanding), I feel that we both concur on the intent of the resolution and not get into a semantics battle. C-1: Jail or rehab? The approximate average cost to house a healthy prisoner is $32,000 per year. Inmates that require services can be much more expensive. According to NPR, many states are running into the quagmire of overcrowded prisons and the rising cost of housing prisoners. They are struggling to pay for this. Further, drug abusers and other non-violent criminals are taking up space that is needed for the more hardened criminals. They are between a rock and a hard place because of victim's rights. A more fiscally responsible action would be to go the medical route of rehab. Granted it costs approximately $35,000 for a 6 month stay, however compare that cost with the average prison sentence of 80 months, and we can clearly see that rehab is the way to go. I ask you judges, "Which serves the greater good?" C-2: Productive citizen or wasted life? When a person completes rehab, they have, in essence, a second chance at life. Many are grateful for the release of the burden that has held them prisoner fo rso long. A successful rehab case can go to work! A successful rehab case can spend money! A successful rehab case contributes to the GDP. What does a prisoner do in jail? Nothing that is fiscally productive. In fact, taxes pay for prisoners, millions of dollars are spent on housing prisoners who give nothing back financially. I ask you judges, "What is the greater good?" C-3: Self Respect or Rotting Away? What happens to inmates? They get mediocre services at best, and according to NPR, prisons are full of drugs. People sent to prison do not even get away from drugs. It can be likened to keeping a person down. Not only do they not get the quality help they need, they actually are put in a place where no on ereally cares what happens to them. People may say things like, "They are in jail, they are animals, they deserve this." Regardless, we are basically throwing them away. Many people who are drug abusers also suffer depression. This makes them even less effective in the real world. Further, when their sentence is up, what is likely to happen? We do not need a crystal ball to tell what will likely happen. Many people who complete rehab not only go on to lead clean, happy, and productive lives. They also provide a positive testimonial to others who are still struggling with their addiction. People who have conquered addiction have a renewed sense of accomplishment. They have self respect and self confidence. Some statistics boast success rates of up to 80% on the first rehab stint. I ask you judges, which serves the greater good? I ask you judges, which is more fiscally responsible?" Thank you.