We have this tendency to not see mental health as a disease. so for most of us we never realize these sorts of connections. But it is vital we change how we look at these things for everyone's sake.

@freemo Nothing says you can't both help them with it and attack drugs. Imprison addicts and once they're in and can't run away, have professionals treat them. They won't do it on their own.

@nerthos Sure we could. We could also put people witht he flu in prison then while they are there force them to take the treatment we want.

The notion that they "wont do it on their own" is nonsense though. Like with any disease some people get better after many attempts of treatment, some never do. Most drug addicts I know have been voluntarily in and out of rehab more times than I can count, they very clearly do treat it on their own, those treatments just also tend to fail. It doesnt help that treatment is often tens of thousands of dollars they dont have and health insurance is unlike to cure.

Here is an idea, instead of wasting an insane amount of money on sticking them in prison with worse results, why not just actually provide for them good affordable rehab on their own.

@freemo I'm proposing both rehab and punishment for doing something they've known it's illegal since they're kids. Both are needed.

The war on drugs is an ineffective, massive waste of money because the guns are aimed at the links of the chain that can protect themselves. If you try to go for a druglord without cutting off its source of money the druglord will just throw some money at a judge or friend in the police and get out free. Addicts don't have such resources, and without addicts to buy, druglords don't have the money to escape prosecution either.

In any siege the goal is to weaken the defender through denial of basic resources.