Such visibility comes with a price, though, as Leshner has been attacked on all fronts for being both too soft and too harsh on drug issues. Before joining NIDA, Leshner enjoyed a highly regarded research career, which largely focused on the biology of behavior. He has a PhD in physiological psychology. I am ferociously against polarizing the debate. I think that's one of the terrible problems we've made with this issue.
People say that it's either a public health or a public safety issue.
The truth is, it's both. I don't call it morality, but I call it voluntary. It's a myth that millions of people get better by themselves. But having said that, my own view is that this tendency to polarize the issue has stalled the issue. But on the other hand, you've got to worry about the victim, the patient, the collateral damage to society.