Addiction is a disease and should only be a health issue and not a criminal issue.

(In this round Pro and Con will give opening statements.) Thank you, internet stranger, for taking the time and effort to read my opening statement. As Pro, I’ll argue that the best solution to addiction is to treat it as a health issue because addiction is a disease. I’ll also argue that addressing addiction as a criminal issue is a poor and inferior solution. All my sources will be cited and listed at the end of my argument and enumerated in-line for easy reading and easy reference. I’ll prove three things in this debate:(1) I'll present a valid argument that addiction is a disease because it’s a unique pathological sensitivity and can be predicted by risk factors.(2) I'll present a valid argument that treating addiction as a health issue is the best solution because health treatment works, both in theory and in reality.(3) I'll present an argument that punishment is a poor answer to addiction because deterrence fails and recidivism is high.Did you know that the U.S. Department of Justice estimated in 2011 that illicit drug use cost almost $193 billion dollars? [1] This fact is a reflection of an epidemic in American society, and in humanity as a whole. It's the epidemic of addiction. In this debate I'll present a case that shines light on the shadowy topic of addiction and addicts. It's difficult to look upon the face of an addict and not feel deep emotions. It's a painful sight. Usually, when a healthy non-addicted person confronts an addict they feel a strong mix of emotions - pity, compassion, contempt, anger, fear, sadness... This cocktail of emotion can blur and poison a person's rational mind. That's bad. It's no surprise then that people want to make sense of addiction in a way that makes them feel comfortable. However, if the enormous economic costs and personal losses of addiction are to be understood, then we need to get uncomfortable and open our eyes. We need to stop the false narrative that addiction is just a failure of morality, deserving of punishment, and we must start treating addicts as sick people who have a disease, and who need care. Are you ready to examine your attitudes on addiction with an open mind, even if it's uncomfortable?To make my case on addiction I'll take you through a series of logic arguments. I'll show how attitudes about disease have changed throughout history. You'll learn that, in the past, what we now know today as disease was once attributed to moral failures and deserving of punishment. We had this erroneous attitude of disease because we didn't understand. We were afraid of the pain and suffering witnessed in sick people. Then science discovered bacteria and viruses, and the theory of contagion, and people no longer considered sick people as "bad" people. I'll show that like contagious diseases of the past, science has only just begun to understand addiction and its causes. And likewise, our new understanding of addiction must change our old attitudes. I'll show that addiction is a common human behavior. But not all people are alike. And some people have a special sensitivity to addiction that is medical in nature. I'll show the effects of addiction on the addict and his physical suffering and mental dysfunction. I'll show the effect disease has on community and society. Then I'll begin to explain how health care is best applied to treat a disease. Addiction is a disease, so addiction should be a health issue.Finally, I'll briefly explain the shortcomings of the current popular model of criminalization and judicial intervention to addiction. I'll show how it's misguided and ineffective. I'll show how addiction is criminalized. I'll show how punishment is ineffective. I'll prove that when an addict is marginalized by a criminal "war" on addiction both the person and community suffer.Please consider my arguments in this debate with an open and critical mind. I now turn over the round to my opponent. Sources:[1] http://www.justice.gov... ... Page ix