With the recent election, a lot of the issues being put to vote involved reanalyzing drug use. Can some of them be used responsibly? Should they even be illegal? These are questions being asked nationwide, and some states have already taken a step toward decriminalizing responsible drug use.
As all these questions are being asked, many have started to question a different issue related to drugs: our nation’s response to drug related offenses. Currently, any offense related to drug trafficking, use, or even just possession can land you in the slammer for a significant portion of your life, and the question is, ‘is this the right solution for the issue?’ You can take an addict and lock him up in a box for a while and let him out, but what’s the end result? You have an addict back on the streets, only now he’s been without a ‘fix’ in a while.
Now imagine the different outcome if you were to take that drug offender, put him through a state sanctioned rehabilitation program and then put him back on the street. The chances of re-offense are proven to be significantly lower. Now, of course, this may not guarantee that every offender will be reformed, but the odds are far better and the cost is lower. Take a look at the statistics below and decide for yourself.
