Addiction Should Be Treated, Not Penalized

The severe racial health differences in the U.S have been brought to light during the COVID-19 epidemic. Black Americans suffered the worst outcomes and death rates compared to White Americans. Not only did they suffer from Corona Virus, but other acute and chronic issues also devoured their lives.

With established disciplinary policies that have reinforced stigma and made it challenging to administer adequate medical care, these inequalities are evident in drug use and addiction to drugs. Instead of seeing drug use as a health problem, Black people and people of other ethnicities appear to suffer more negative effects from decades of drug usage in the U.S.

Instead of criminalizing drug use, we should consider it a treatable brain disorder. Many people wonder: “Should drug addicts be punished or treated?” We must inform the public that drug use does not showcase character flow or social deviances. However, despite the studies proving that drug addiction should be treated, not penalized, it is continually being criminalized. Therefore, to improve population health and health equity, the U.S. must tackle drug addiction immediately from a public health perspective.

Unfair Regulations

Even though drug use statistics vary by type, White and Black ethnicities seem to intake drugs in equal ratios. Yet White Americans don’t usually face the laws as Black Americans. For instance, Cannabis is generally used by every race in America. However, Black Americans were arrested for Cannabis possession four times more than White Americans in 2018.

Nearly 277,000 people were imprisoned in 2013 because of drug abuse, of which 56% were Black Americans and other ethnicities, even though these people cover a quarter of America’s population.

Although prescribed opioids, which White people primarily used, were more commonly misused. Heroin arrests during the early years of the opioid crisis in this century far outnumbered those for stolen opioids.

It is widely known that crack and powder cocaine are the same substance. However, during the 1980s crack pandemic, crack or freebase cocaine — commonly used in urban communities of color — received significantly harsher punishments than powder cocaine. Yet, many similar cases show racial discrimination enforced by drug laws and rules existing for so long in America.

Inefficient Penalty

Should addiction view as a crime, or should it be treated? Well, addiction is a disorder, so it needs treatment instead of being penalized. Unfortunately, although multiple studies have shown the effects of punishments vs. treatments on addicts, laws are not ceasing to penalize drug addiction.

According to one study by the Pew Charitable Trusts, three indications of a state’s drug problem—self-reported drug usage, drug overdose deaths, and drug arrests—were not statistically related to state drug imprisonment rates.

Drug addicts lead to drug overdose whenever they are released from prison, explaining why drug addicts should go to rehab, not jail. Whether caught for drug use or any other crime, they start using drugs to escape reality more.

It is common for illegal drug and pharmaceutical usage to increase significantly after being released from imprisonment. Moreover, more than half of prisoners have an untreated drug addiction disorder. Loss of opioid tolerance in prison can also lead to significant and fatal risks of relapse for opioid-addicted prisoners once they are freed from jail.

Unfair Treatment Accessibility

Should drug addicts be punished or treated? Despite shifting away from punishment and addressing addiction as a matter of public health due to the opioid crisis, the strategy of drug misuse is still unevenly applied by race and ethnicity. In contrast to White people, Black and Hispanic persons are more likely to be sent to prison following drug offenses than to be directed to treatment centers.

In addition, a 2018 Florida study indicated that African Americans seeking addiction therapy entered treatment significantly later than Whites. So, it resulted in faster development of addictive disorders, worse treatment outcomes, and higher overdose rates.

The causes of these delays could not be solely attributed to socioeconomic level and drastically reduced the life expectancy of a drug addict. Studies also prove that health care primarily prescribed opioid addiction treatment to White youth, and the Black community was 42-29% less likely to get prescribed medication. Moreover, Black patients with opioid addiction are 77% less likely to obtain opioid addiction treatment buprenorphine than White ones.

Terrible Penalization

Many of us still think: “Should drug addicts be punished?” However, we must acknowledge how adversely the criminalization of drug use can affect. Yet, Black peers are more widely penalized due to drug use than White people. Imprisonment causes isolation, worsening drug abuse, addiction, and relapse cycles. It also increases the chance of death from a wide range of causes.

Black people are more likely to be arrested for possessing a small amount of Cannabis than white people, make their criminal records, and restrict their future career opportunities. In addition, these extreme drug charges and imprisonment burden negatively affect Black children and families. Arrested parents can also be forced to lose custody of their children and enroll in foster care. According to another Pew Charitable Trusts study, 11.4% of African American and 3.5% of Hispanic children had a jailed parent, compared to 1.8% of White children. This burden sustains poverty by restricting upward mobility and preventing access to jobs, housing, higher education, and voting rights. Additionally, it damages the health of imprisoned, their families, and their communities.

Approaching Towards a Public Health Perspective

In 2016, during the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Drugs, the 193 member countries agreed that drug use and problems should be treated as public health issues instead of crimes.

There is an urgent need for research to determine the impact and efficacy of public health-based alternatives to criminalizing drug use. Investing in drug courts, diversionary programs, and laws decriminalizing drug possession are essential steps.

Laws should also address policy research and dynamic research addressing racial differences related to drug use and addiction. Whether it be the health care, justice system, courts, jails, or prisons, the opioid crisis gives the lesson to conduct extensive investigations, engage in cooperation, and reduce damaging health issues.

Whereas Covid-19 shows how fast research firms can adjust and address crucial hazards. All the past lessons show how to reduce systemic discrimination and address addiction as a health care issue. The advanced strategies can also access better addiction rehabs for everyone, regardless of ethnicity.

However, the National Institute on Drug Abuse is increasing its attention to minorities’ defenselessness and drug use and addiction development. Also, it is investigating research collaborations with local, state, and federal organizations and private health systems. So, to find solutions and remove structural barriers to addiction treatment. In regions where such unplanned trials are already taking place, we are also financing research on the results of alternative regulatory and decriminalization regimes for pharmaceuticals. Drug use and addiction care should be approached with high-quality care and compassion for drug addicts, as drug addiction should be treated, not penalized. I believe we can work toward racial equity in providing compassionate therapy with a will, the capacity to use research and to lead us toward more equitable forms of dealing with addiction.

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