[tommiasfc]

Originally Posted by annesingleton

So would you help rather than punish a drug user who had broken into someone's house in the middle of the night whilst they were in bed, or mugged someone in order to get money to fund their habit? Or simply help them only if they were found to be in possession and punish them for other drug related crime?
What about suppliers? Would you help rather than punish them if they had a drugs problem themselves?

Punish them for mugging etc but help them for there addiction if they get help for addiction and loose there habbit they then dont have an addiction to feed by mugging and robbing houses. Then its a case of supply and demand if people are being cured of addiction there will be less demand and less dealers. What use is it to a drug user to be thrown in jail when they could be helped and police can have more resources for every supplier that is stopped another one will start its a never ending war. Portugal had very high drug use but since they changed the laws its still above average but its coming down.