Top US drug official, "The old war on drugs is all wrong."
44 replies, posted
[quote]
The nation's top drug official went on CBS' "60 Minutes" Sunday night and proclaimed the old War on Drugs a failure. Michael Botticelli, who serves as the director of the White House's Office of National Drug Control Policy, also said he wants to reform and refocus U.S. drug policy. When asked by "60 Minutes" host Scott Pelley if the costly drug war that has been in place for more than 40 years had been wrong, Botticelli had blunt words for what he called the "failed policies and failed practices" of the past, noting that those policies were largely responsible for the nation's mass incarceration epidemic.
"It has been all wrong," he said, noting that locking up drug offenders had not only contributed to a costly, bloated prison system, but had also failed to curtail Americans' drug habit.
"We can't arrest and incarcerate addiction out of people. Not only do I think it's really inhumane, but it's ineffective, and it cost us billions upon billions of dollars to keep doing this."
On "60 Minutes," Botticelli emphasized the need to recast drug addiction as a problem that cannot be treated by simply locking users up. "We've learned addiction is a brain disease. This is not a moral failing. This is not about bad people who are choosing to continue to use drugs because they lack will power," he said, noting the dangers of the overuse and over-prescribing of opioid prescription pain medication.
"You know, we don't expect people with cancer to just stop having cancer." [/quote]
[url=http://www.attn.com/stories/4686/white-house-official-says-war-on-drugs-failure?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=internal]Source, with links to the interview[/url]
This is pretty surprising to say the least. To the point where i thought it was satire at first. I find it better that the global war on drugs ends sooner than later, this is a step in the right direction.
[QUOTE=Michael Botticelli]"We've learned addiction is a brain disease. This is not a moral failing. This is not about bad people who are choosing to continue to use drugs because they lack will power," [/QUOTE]
I disagree there. It certainly is a moral failing and a lack of willpower. Nobody forces anyone to use drugs, people chose to get into them of their own accord.
Perhaps later on, when you become addicted then there may be a decrease in ability to resist, but you have to chose to start in the first place, despite knowing the effects.
[QUOTE=Lium;49322306]I disagree there. It certainly is a moral failing and a lack of willpower. Nobody forces anyone to use drugs, people chose to get into them of their own accord.
Perhaps later on, when you become addicted then there may be a decrease in ability to resist, but you have to chose to start in the first place, despite knowing the effects.[/QUOTE]
Are you looking to start a shit show?
Are poverty and crime things people also only choose to get into? No exceptions right?
And the bird goes tweet.
[QUOTE=Lium;49322306]I disagree there. It certainly is a moral failing and a lack of willpower. Nobody forces anyone to use drugs, people chose to get into them of their own accord.
Perhaps later on, when you become addicted then there may be a decrease in ability to resist, but you have to chose to start in the first place, despite knowing the effects.[/QUOTE]
You would think that, but there are in fact a lot of communities that are under-served in drug education. Go out and talk to people out in the rural midwest in areas that have meth issues. It isn't a moral failure, there legitimately are people who are not educated about the effects. People are being exposed to those things at a [B]very[/B] young age (think middle school or even primary).
As for the lack of willpower, that sort of ties in with the rampant mental illness the US faces.
[QUOTE=Karmah;49322326]Are you looking to start a shit show?
Are poverty and crime things people also only choose to get into? No exceptions right?[/QUOTE]
No, as it happens. I am stating an opinion which people may or may not agree with.
[QUOTE=Lium;49322306]I disagree there. It certainly is a moral failing and a lack of willpower. Nobody forces anyone to use drugs, people chose to get into them of their own accord.
Perhaps later on, when you become addicted then there may be a decrease in ability to resist, but you have to chose to start in the first place, despite knowing the effects.[/QUOTE]
are people not allowed to have a drink, or a vice, without being considered moral failures?
[QUOTE=Lium;49322306]I disagree there. It certainly is a moral failing and a lack of willpower. Nobody forces anyone to use drugs, people chose to get into them of their own accord.
Perhaps later on, when you become addicted then there may be a decrease in ability to resist, but you have to chose to start in the first place, despite knowing the effects.[/QUOTE]
Drugs are a recreational thing. They have certain risks associated with this, which can include addiction. You can't get addicted to playing football, but you can still break your leg.
[QUOTE=Lium;49322306]I disagree there. It certainly is a moral failing and a lack of willpower. Nobody forces anyone to use drugs, people chose to get into them of their own accord.
Perhaps later on, when you become addicted then there may be a decrease in ability to resist, but you have to chose to start in the first place, despite knowing the effects.[/QUOTE]
The choice to use drugs is, as often as not, a result of home/family environment, peer pressure and financial situation rather than any individual choice.
[QUOTE=HumanAbyss;49322390]are people not allowed to have a drink, or a vice, without being considered moral failures?[/QUOTE]
Not in my book, though I acknowledge this is not the opinion of most of the world.
I find the idea of knowingly engaging in an activity that will physically, mentally and financially affect you to be an absurd one.
Yes, "having a drink" is not equivalent to an addiction, and is fine. I don't take much issue with those who partake in moderation. It's only when the boundaries move beyond reasonability that problems arise.
For alcohol, anyway.
recreational drug use =/= addiction
Addiction is the issue, not drugs, but a lot of people seem to think there is no distinction.
[QUOTE=Lium;49322306]I disagree there. It certainly is a moral failing and a lack of willpower. Nobody forces anyone to use drugs, people chose to get into them of their own accord.
Perhaps later on, when you become addicted then there may be a decrease in ability to resist, but you have to chose to start in the first place, despite knowing the effects.[/QUOTE]
have you ever heard of peer pressure or just a plain old lack of education on drugs
[QUOTE=Lium;49322306]I disagree there. It certainly is a moral failing and a lack of willpower. Nobody forces anyone to use drugs, people chose to get into them of their own accord.
Perhaps later on, when you become addicted then there may be a decrease in ability to resist, but you have to chose to start in the first place, despite knowing the effects.[/QUOTE]
... and this is the reason we still have a problem with drugs, because people think like you. Drugs are not these scary boogeyman like chemicals that mean the end of quality of life for the individual deciding to take it.
[QUOTE=Lium;49322306]I disagree there. It certainly is a moral failing and a lack of willpower. Nobody forces anyone to use drugs, people chose to get into them of their own accord.
Perhaps later on, when you become addicted then there may be a decrease in ability to resist, but you have to chose to start in the first place, despite knowing the effects.[/QUOTE]
You're pretty ignorant on the subject.
People do drugs for various reasons, not all people are the same. Once on these drugs regardless, they're physically addicted. People need to be helped and empowered.
Even regardless of "morality" or "morals" everyone has different morals, what is right to me isn't what is right for others. Regardless it does not fucking matter, if someone is arrested for drugs and wants to get better we should provide that treatment. It is cheaper to provide someone drug treatment then it is to keep them incarcerated. Oh and by the way, just because they're in prison or jail does not mean they have no access to drugs. It extremely common to find drugs in prisons.
[QUOTE=HumanAbyss;49322390]are people not allowed to have a drink, or a vice, without being considered moral failures?[/QUOTE]
Depends. When it starts impacting people around you, and you don't care about it hurting them at all because you simply have no regard for others, then yes, you are a moral failure (or, to put it another way, you're just an asshole). Otherwise, I really don't give a shit. Don't bother anyone, especially me, and there's no problem.
So basically, unless there's something horribly wrong with you that makes you the way that you are, it's entirely a matter of taking personal responsibility and learning to have moderation-- or better yet, learning to just flat-out abstain altogether. Speaking from experience.
[QUOTE=MR-X;49322650]You're pretty ignorant on the subject.
People do drugs for various reasons, not all people are the same. Once on these drugs regardless, they're physically addicted. People need to be helped and empowered.
Even regardless of "morality" or "morals" everyone has different morals, what is right to me isn't what is right for others. Regardless it does not fucking matter, if someone is arrested for drugs and wants to get better we should provide that treatment. It is cheaper to provide someone drug treatment then it is to keep them incarcerated. Oh and by the way, just because they're in prison or jail does not mean they have no access to drugs. It extremely common to find drugs in prisons.[/QUOTE]
it takes a month or 2 of daily consecutive use of physically addictive substance to become physically dependent. And yea, morality is a crock of shit made up by people as a universal concept of how to treat your fellow man, it's not this hardwired part of your mind that aids in decision making.
[QUOTE=Lium;49322306]I disagree there. It certainly is a moral failing and a lack of willpower. Nobody forces anyone to use drugs, people chose to get into them of their own accord.
Perhaps later on, when you become addicted then there may be a decrease in ability to resist, but you have to chose to start in the first place, despite knowing the effects.[/QUOTE]
It's more than a lack of willpower and moral failing, we know brainchemistry radically alters when one is stressed, depressed and suffering, it opens individuals up to this sort of thing. The famous rat experiment that proved drugs are bad was redone with an active rat community and the rats didn't even touch the drugs when they had happy lives, it was only when they were isolated and miserable did they do drugs.
[QUOTE=Sableye;49322963]It's more than a lack of willpower and moral failing, we know brainchemistry radically alters when one is stressed, depressed and suffering, it opens individuals up to this sort of thing. The famous rat experiment that proved drugs are bad was redone with an active rat community and the rats didn't even touch the drugs when they had happy lives, it was only when they were isolated and miserable did they do drugs.[/QUOTE]
Who could have imagined that depression, a disease that can literally drive people to suicide, could cause them to make self destructive decisions. I'm sure that prison is a nurturing envirornment that would encourage rehabilitation rather than re-offending. Its a good thing our privatized prison system has no conflicts of interest in ensuring the well-being and future of its prisoners.
[QUOTE=Lium;49322306]I disagree there. It certainly is a moral failing and a lack of willpower. Nobody forces anyone to use drugs, people chose to get into them of their own accord.
Perhaps later on, when you become addicted then there may be a decrease in ability to resist, but you have to chose to start in the first place, despite knowing the effects.[/QUOTE]
A lot of people get hooked on the most dangerous and addictive and lethal drugs known to man - opiates - often times because their doctor prescribes them for pain management. The healthcare system in America is based almost solely on pain levels and pain management (that's why they always ask you your pain level, not only do they use this to sort the urgency of cases but in a lot of cases they also score the hospital overall based on managing these pain levels).
It's not a lack of willpower or a moral failing to take something that you were told to take by someone whose professional opinion you trust implicitly. It doesn't matter that they're being paid by the drug companies to push these terrible substances onto people because they know they'll get hooked, because nobody seems to think doctors actually do this, but they do.
[QUOTE=Lium;49322504]Not in my book, though I acknowledge this is not the opinion of most of the world.
I find the idea of knowingly engaging in an activity that will physically, mentally and financially affect you to be an absurd one.
Yes, "having a drink" is not equivalent to an addiction, and is fine. I don't take much issue with those who partake in moderation. It's only when the boundaries move beyond reasonability that problems arise.
For alcohol, anyway.[/QUOTE]
Every activity affects you physically, mentally, and financially. Even choosing to sit here and do nothing effects you. Whether or not those effects are life-threatening or whether they are even negative at all really depends on the situation. The recreational drugs that I use have no negative impact on my life. If I made the decision to do opiates or alcohol, that probably wouldn't be the case. But because I only indulge in cannabis concentrates, I'm doing good as far as vices are concerned.
[QUOTE=Lium;49322504]Not in my book, though I acknowledge this is not the opinion of most of the world.
I find the idea of knowingly engaging in an activity that will physically, mentally and financially affect you to be an absurd one.
Yes, "having a drink" is not equivalent to an addiction, and is fine. I don't take much issue with those who partake in moderation. It's only when the boundaries move beyond reasonability that problems arise.
For alcohol, anyway.[/QUOTE]
Boy, you sure do sound fun to talk to.
[QUOTE=Lium;49322504]Not in my book, though I acknowledge this is not the opinion of most of the world.
I find the idea of knowingly engaging in an activity that will physically, mentally and financially affect you to be an absurd one.
Yes, "having a drink" is not equivalent to an addiction, and is fine. I don't take much issue with those who partake in moderation. It's only when the boundaries move beyond reasonability that problems arise.
For alcohol, anyway.[/QUOTE]
Why is your definition of "drug" so arbitrary it doesn't include alcohol, a fucking drug?
Evidently it is a failure
[QUOTE=Lium;49322306]I disagree there. It certainly is a moral failing and a lack of willpower. Nobody forces anyone to use drugs, people chose to get into them of their own accord.
Perhaps later on, when you become addicted then there may be a decrease in ability to resist, but you have to chose to start in the first place, despite knowing the effects.[/QUOTE]
Pharmacy intern here.
People can be prescribed drugs for a temporary problem, pain management after an injury (hydrocodone 10mg, usually) or Xanax for anxiety; both of these are the most commonly abused drugs I should add. If they're not taken exactly, if the person has the right brain receptors, they can get addicted.
Opiates are especially bad because they mimic certain receptors in the brain, and the brain, as beautiful as it is, can be very dumb. If you take away that awesome supply of feel good chemicals, it freaks out and goes haywire. The symptoms of withdrawal can be 10 times worse than the actual problem that was being treated.
It has nothing to do with "moral failing" or "lack of willpower".
They should just legalize cocaine. The production and consumption will continue irregardless.
[QUOTE=Lium;49322504]Not in my book, though I acknowledge this is not the opinion of most of the world.
I find the idea of knowingly engaging in an activity that will physically, mentally and financially affect you to be an absurd one.
Yes, "having a drink" is not equivalent to an addiction, and is fine. I don't take much issue with those who partake in moderation. It's only when the boundaries move beyond reasonability that problems arise.
For alcohol, anyway.[/QUOTE]
This attitude towards people struggling with addiction further alienates them from society, please don't do this because it's actually harmful to other people.
I could also judge you for being a morally bad person for that reason but I'm not about to do that because life isn't black and white.
[editline]15th December 2015[/editline]
and the thing is, your opinion is a far too common so don't say it's not.
If less people thought like you we'd have far better addiction treatment centers here in America
You're doing something that actively turns people away from the world and confide further in their drug use, if you really hate addiction you need to change your mindset.
[QUOTE=Lium;49322504]
I find the idea of knowingly engaging in an activity that will physically, mentally and financially affect you to be an absurd one.[/QUOTE]
this sounds like something a 14 year old taking their freshman year of high school's health class would say
[QUOTE=FFStudios;49328536]this sounds like something a 14 year old taking their freshman year of high school's health class would say[/QUOTE]
Worst part is engaging in the behavior he criticizes is pretty much a summary of a generic modern life as a whole.
Drugs aren't a "1 hit and ur an addict forever!!!!11!" thing though. You can use drugs on and off and not be addicted to them,yes even opioids. It's when it becomes a daily thing you have to have is when you've fucked yourself. Last time I got deep into opioids I did them for a week and woke up sick one morning. Didn't like that shit when I figured out why I was sick but I can see how easy it is to get physically addicted to them. The junkies here all switched from pain pills to suboxone strips,meth or heroin after the clamp down on pain clinics. I couldn't imagine how bad it would suck to be addicted to suboxone,I've seen people withdraw from that shit,they were shooting it up. I've seen a friend of mine get huge abscesses from missing when shooting that shit up. Bleh.
[QUOTE=Karmah;49322326]Are you looking to start a shit show?
Are poverty and crime things people also only choose to get into? No exceptions right?[/QUOTE]
Are poverty and crime a brain disease? Is drug use a brain disease? Is drug addiction a brain disease?
I don't think so. It is a condition that one can develop by using drugs, associated with withdrawal effects and inner cravings, but I doubt it's an actual [I]brain disease[/I] is this Botticelli some medical expert? I don't think so either. Doesn't sound all that much more knowledgeable than most top US drug officials before him.
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