It's easy to feel sorry for a good looking 36 year old award winning actor who can't seem to stop pissing away his life to drugs. Here's a young man, who by all rights should be on top of the world. It's obvious that his drug use is ruining a very successful career, and more than that, his life and health. He has successfully convinced the courts several times to allow him back on the streets and continue his career. I personally believe this is, for the most part good, because at least in his case, the legal system appears to recognize that his disease is just that, a disease.
Treatment is appropriate for dealing with disease.
It has been recognized that his foolish decisions and bizarre behavior are caused by drugs that are controlling him. He was sentenced at one point to three years in prison but released after one. Jail is, at minimum, a questionable way to treat people with illnesses. I want to share with you some quotes from one of my hometown newspapers about his latest arrest, and then pose a few questions. The actor's legal troubles began in 1996 when he was stopped for speeding and authorities found cocaine, heroin and a pistol in his vehicle.