So do drug abusers. Yet help is often not there. According to government statistics, treatment is available for only about half of those who need it. Traveling around the country, I've been struck by how many communities lack even a single residential center or methadone clinic. Of course, not all addicts want help.
Improved outreach can help bring in more from the street.
Dollar for dollar, studies show, treatment is far more effective in reducing drug use than is law enforcement, border interdiction or hunting kingpins in Latin America. Over the years, I have met many people, from musicians to homeless people, who have gotten better in treatment. Needless to say, many of those who enter programs will eventually relapse. But even if they stay off drugs for only a limited period, treatment more than pays for itself. And its value grows when it is combined with vocational training, job placement and other services designed to ease users back into society.