A second state in the United States has passed a law giving immunity from criminal prosecution to someone who is having a drug overdose or someone who reports a drug overdose by calling 911 for help. Here in New Hampshire someone overdosing from drugs will not be so lucky. Call for help and you’re risking imprisonment.
The State of Washington passed SB 5516, something that would be worthwhile to push for here in New Hampshire. This type of limited immunity does nothing to address the problems of addiction, crime associated with addiction, and crime associated with the black market supply of drugs. It is a good step in the direction of harm-reduction, though.
For a fraction of the cost of enforcement and imprisonment, treatment centers could be opened for opiate-addicted individuals. People could be given the drugs they need to survive with a plan to get them off of their addictions. They no longer would be out terrorizing neighborhoods with burglaries or worse to support their habits. They could get drug free. Black market drug dealers would wither when they no longer could count on returning customers. This would make it harder for people to start using in the first place. People not being addicted to hard drugs is a good thing.
Why don’t people in government realize this? The tough on crime approach to drug policing doesn’t work. It never will. Every drug arrest and drug investigation is a complete waste of time. If it were not a waste of time wouldn’t the non-stop stories of drug arrests have come to an end after 40+ years of doing the same thing over and over and over and over and over again?
The drug war does nothing positive and it does a tremendous amount of negative.
