Nelson comments in the article about treating drug addiction instead of punishing it. I am the director of a residental treatment program for women with co-occurring disorders such as mental illness and substance abuse. I hear first the hand the reasons why these women try to self medicate themselves. They are attempting to deal with the horrors that have been placed on them by their families, society, strangers , friends, etc. If we are not willing to correct wrongs in society such as poverty,poor health care, inadaquate educational systems, domestic violence,unaffordable housing, etc.
Addiction is an illness that society has injected into the vains of the poor.
Now we expect them to heal themselves or else we will judge them unfit members of soceity and try our very best to wipe them off the face of this beautiful country. Thank you for such an on target article on a subject very close to my heart. At some point addicts must take responsibility for their actions like everyone else. However, I do believe that treatment should take priority over incarceration when it comes to sentencing.