It's obvious this guy is using the compasionate treatment stance in a weasel kind of way to relate drugs and crime. We all know it's the policy of prohabition that's at the root of the problem. If they were not arrested for drug possion they would not be criminals. People don't need treatment to stop them from commiting crimes. No other crime must be committed for an arrest to be made.
Drug offenses make up about one half of all offenses for which people are imprisoned in America.
McCaffrey applies statistics for all felonies to back up a statement about only violent and property offenses-a blatant distortion of the facts. The fact that certain drugs are illegal makes them a black market commodity, driving prices far above what many addicts can pay for drugs. Thus, the crimes committed to obtain money for illegal drugs are at least as much a result of the drug war as the drugs themselves. The research he refers to here reflects not only the good that is done when people are given the opportunity to work, but the harm that is done in the first place by targeting non-violent drug users, putting them in prison, then releasing them with little chance of finding decent employment. Ultimately, I agree with McCaffrey that treatment is the key to helping those who are truly addicted to drugs.