Let's start paying for drug policy that works

The recent discussion about a new jail for Grant County, illegal drug use and the criminal actions created by drug users, focused my attention on a policy issue that the nation needs to be talking about. Certainly, if the nation won’t, the states should.

Drug addiction is a real societal disease that has high costs in human lives, property loss and community resources. Smoke it, inject it or swallow it, and more is needed to keep the fix going. The fix wares off and the user scurries around, day or night, steals someone’s stuff from a home or a business, finds a seller and the habit is fixed for a few more days. Then it’s time to repeat. An eventual outcome of this repetition is arrest and jail for the user and maybe the dealer too. Go through the processing procedures, maybe a court hearing, maybe some jail time and then released; back on the streets. The merry-go-round of a broken policy.

What our society seems unwilling to address, a critically needed step, is a policy that sends the drug user off to be treated for the addiction with a real commitment of follow up. We are willing to foot the bills for the arrest, court hearings and jail, though we balk at the treatment step. Some would call it — oh dear me, that chilling word — “socialism.” The many steps from the arrest to a court hearing to the institutionalization of the drug user is already paid for by all of us — a series of public programs.

The War on Drugs is a five-decade failure. (There is reason to doubt the stated purpose of the 1971 War on Drugs policy. Recent revelations show an ulterior intent). The domestic War on Drugs has become a tool of sorts. Government bodies benefit and businesses are built around it. Law enforcement agencies, local and regional, bring in money through civil forfeitures. The process works this way: Civil forfeiture allows police to seize, and then keep or sell, any property they allege is involved in a crime, like a drug crime. Businesses have been built around the creation of specific narcotics detection devices designed for law enforcement agencies. — equipment we pay for. The private prison industry has grown significantly, too. The United States has the largest number of private prison inmates in the world. Lastly, there are scores of private substance abuse and addiction centers around the nation that are lightly, if at all, regulated. Another issue this nation must face is the current revelation about the pharmaceutical industrial complex and how they push addictive drugs for the sake of corporate profits. Witness the Opioid epidemic: If you become addicted to their miracle drug, it’s your problem, not theirs and, once again, society pays.

If you noodle around and look for “socialized” or state-run drug treatment centers, here in Washington state, you’ll find the State Health Care Authority. They share some phone numbers that will lead you to private treatment centers. The site states that you will need insurance. The same applies to the national level. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) website lists a phone number, and it, too, states you will need insurance. We read about the wealthy ponying up and paying for their addiction treatment, and some do reach success. Uninsured Everyday Joe you won’t read about — the system is skewed towards money.

We can keep the current merry-go-round well greased, all the while talking about a problem and ignoring workable policies. Meaningful change would help the addicted with positive outcomes, ultimately benefitting all of society.

Bob Valen