<
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/23/opinion/sunday/opioid-crisis-drug-seattle.html>
"On gritty streets where heroin, fentanyl and meth stride like Death
Eaters, where for decades both drugs and the war on drugs have wrecked
lives, the city of Seattle is pioneering a bold approach to narcotics
that should be a model for America.
Anyone caught here with a small amount of drugs — even heroin — isn’t
typically prosecuted. Instead, that person is steered toward social
services to get help.
This model is becoming the consensus preference among public health
experts in the U.S. and abroad. Still, it shocks many Americans to see
no criminal penalty for using drugs illegally, so it takes courage and
vision to adopt this approach: a partial retreat in the war on drugs
coupled with a stepped-up campaign against addiction.
The war on drugs has been one of America’s most grievous mistakes,
resulting in as many citizens with arrest records as with college
diplomas. At last count, an American was arrested for drug possession
every 25 seconds, yet the mass incarceration this leads to has not
turned the tide on narcotics."
Via Paul Ferguson.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://www.xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
http://www.glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
http://www.sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
