Should Drug Users be Jailed?

For decades, the United States has had a problem with drug abuse. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, deaths as a result of drug use have risen from around 20,000 per year to over 70,000 per year over the past 20 years, which is a significant increase. Over 47 billion dollars are spent annually on the war on drugs and over 1.5 million people were arrested for violating drug laws in 2017 (drugpolicy.org). As seen from the statistics, despite the harsh laws on drug possession and use, people are not discouraged from using drugs. People have continued using them and most likely will not stop anytime soon. 

However, Seattle is the first city in the United States to take a new approach to battling drug abuse. Seattle has recently decriminalized drug possession, meaning those who are caught with drugs are not arrested but are offered help and resources instead. In other words, drug abuse is treated as a health crisis rather than a crime. 

As with most law changes, this one is extremely controversial. Some debate that decriminalizing hard drugs would actually make the drug crisis even worse, that it may lead to more addictions, in fear that addicts will continue to abuse drugs rather than seek help. Mikel Kowalcyk, a recovering addict that now works for counseling programs, went around Seattle with police officers and found two men smoking crack. These men were offered help but felt like they didn’t need any, so they declined. Kowalcyk mentioned that “resistance is typical”, but it wouldn’t stop him from going back to help (washingtonpost.com).

Seattle has already thought of many ways to decrease the use of drugs. A program named Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion, LEAD, has already helped many users. Researchers have found that LEAD clients have a 40% lower chance of being charged and higher chances of getting off the streets and into a job. LEAD shows that there is indeed hope for a safer world and improved lives (washingtonpost.com) Because this decriminalization policy is still new, little data has been collected so it is unsure whether there is an impact on users and crime rates. However, Seattle plans to stick with the policy and refuses to give up.

Portugal started a similar policy in 2001, which was successful as it decreased the number of overdoses (washingtonpost.com). While the decriminalization of drug possession may sound skeptical to some, it is important to view the situation with an open mind. Even if this does not end the war of drugs, there will still be effort put into actually helping those who struggle, rather than just punishing those with drugs. With this new approach, it is clear that there is hope and progress regarding drug use in the United States.