Prisons Are for Murderers & Violent Criminals - NOT Drug Addicts!

Since the supposed "War on Drugs" began our prisons populations have soared to outrageous heights. Here in the good 'ol US of A we have the highest prison population in the entire world. So much for "land of the free." What is most astonishing about this is that "two-thirds of these prisoners are serving time for non-violent offenses" (American Civil Liberties Union). Do you have any idea how much money that is costing us? Over 20 billion dollars annually. We are paying much more to lock people up for non-violent crimes than to actually help people, and it's not doing a bit of good. Can someone please say "DUH?"

A study conducted in 1998 showed that "on a nationwide average, imprisoning an addict costs $25,900 per year, while treatment costs only $4,400 - 6,800 per year" (ACLU). Being in prison does not help to assuage addiction. There are few treatment services and many prisoners continue to use drugs while incarcerated and then once freed. Prison life does nothing to rehabilitate the addict and prepare them for sobriety. It does nothing to get to root of the problem and with the current mandatory sentencing guidelines - prison is cruel and unusual punishment for the addict.

Drug addicts and manufacturers face steep prison sentences if caught. It is not unusual for a drug addict to be sentenced to 10 20 years in prison depending on the charge. 10 to 20 years. Some murderers and child molesters serve significantly less terms and sometimes get off all together. How can we have such strict sentencing for drug addicts, but murderers and rapists get let off? How can someone be thrown into a cell for 20 years of their life because they have a serious problem that millions of Americans face? How can we have a president, elected into two terms, who has in fact been a user of illegal drugs himself? Can we not see this hypocrisy?!

Some people say, "Who cares, he's just a drug addict. They did it to themselves," but a drug addict could be anyone. Anyone and everyone has the potential to become an addict. Yes, even you, your family, and your friends could become addicted to a substance. It is likely that you already know someone who is an addict, whether they are practicing or in recovery. People start using drugs for a multitude of reasons. It can start out as experimentation and partying or as an escape from what seems to be a horrible reality. For whatever reason, once addiction has sunk its claws in, it's a long and difficult journey back - if you make it back. Addicts need support. A lot of support. Can you really turn your back on someone you love and deem them disposable because they are suffering from an addiction? No one ever asks for bad things to happen to them, and no one knows it all. It certainly pays to stick together, though, because without love and support the ones you love could be lost forever.

Fortunately, awareness is spreading. People are beginning to wake up and realize that addicts need recovery, not prison. To quote the former governor of Arkansas and former 2008 presidential candidate, Mike Huckabee, "Simply prosecuting and incarcerating drug users has not resulted in a dramatic downturn in drug use or abuse. Maybe our money would be better spent focusing on treatment and on what causes people to use drugs."