With Wisconsin’s richest citizens barely making ends meet under the tyrannical fist of socialism, the Wisconsin Office of Justice Assistance had the gall to give Dane County an $80,000 grant to counsel and treat opiate addicts. Why, one may ask, should we take precious money that could be going to more important things like rich people and instead put it toward helping heroin addicts? Well it’s actually a good idea and, in fact, more efforts should be made to reach out and treat those suffering from drug addiction.
If there is a way to end opiate addiction, it’s far off. Humans have been getting down with the get-down for thousands of years and we’re not going to stop soon. As a human, I can vouch for the fact we like to do what feels good, and the whole point of opiates is they feel good. It’s a given there will be addicts and abusers among Dane County’s population. While prevention is preferable, treatment is also an important and effective means of fighting opiate abuse.
One thing to note about opiate abuse is most abusers start with prescription drugs and switch to heroin because it is cheaper and easier to get. I’ve written before on the futility of marijuana prohibition, and it would seem our heroin laws aren’t doing their job, either. Now, there are drugs one simply shouldn’t mess with and heroin is one of them, so I don’t mean to say we should legalize it. However, when heroin is cheaper and easier to get than legal opiates, something isn’t working properly.
Another benefit of treating drug addicts is there’s less crime and jail time involved, which is beneficial for both the addicts and the state. Untreated heroin addicts tend to steal things and be unproductive members of society. These behaviors cost taxpayers money to pay for welfare and incarceration. Treated addicts, however, are more likely to get jobs and not commit crimes. On a societal level, this is good because they cease to be a drain on society, they can turn their lives around and get a fresh start.
With two-thirds of poisoning deaths attributed to opiate overdose, opiate abuse is a problem worth addressing. Counseling and treatment for addicts and abusers is a good way to help the willing solve their problems. All things considered, I think we can let the socialists get away with this one.
Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
