Yesterday we talked of small token regulations and advantages to legalization of drugs. Today we continue that discussion with respect to the role of distribution and doctors.
Pharmacies: A pharmacy requires a prescription to dispense a medication (for those that the government requires at the very least). As such, a pharmacy can stock the now legal narcotics that have been purposely modified to insure quality and lessen the chances of overdose. With a pharmacy, a specified amount can be dispensed at any given time based on the prescription, which can control the number of "highs" an addict can have access too. Already, there are derivatives of drugs that are deemed illegal in other forms dispensed due to the fact that they can be used in medical applications. In addition, certain drugs are dispensed that help addicts of certain drugs wean themselves off the addictive drugs themselves. So pharmacies can play an active role.
Doctor’s office: If using the above pharmacy model, then doctors licensed to dispense narcotics and are qualified to recognize that individuals are addicts in the first place can write prescriptions for the narcotics. A doctor acting in this capacity would be used to control the amount an addict gets at any given time based on the prescription they are writing and also help wean the addict off that addictive drug when they are ready. Basically, by having doctors who know about addiction and how to treat it we can help protect the addicts from doing much more harm to their body.
Combination: Another possibility is a special clinic designed specifically to handle people who are addicted to the formally illegal drugs. Here the addicts can have access to a doctor on staff to check their physical condition while at the same time the addict can purchase and use the drug on site (purchasing the drugs aids in funding the clinic). What this means is that every time they need the high, the addict would come to the special clinic and purchase their drug that they are addicted to. Then the addict would go to a privacy booth monitored by cameras or staff and use the drug. If they should overdose, a trauma center would be located inside the clinic so as to save the addict as soon as the overdose occurs. This version has all of the advantages of the aforementioned Pharmacies and Doctors sections, but with key additions. Those additions are a guarantee that a clean needle will be used every time which prevents the spread of diseases and that the chances of surviving an overdose increase as they will only be able to use the drug on site which has the medical staff on call to help at a moments notice. On top of this, because the drug is being used at a special facility known to be used to treat addicts, it creates a stigma that people who use are sick in some way and need help. As people will not want to be viewed as victims, it will help to prevent any new people from trying drugs.
Conclusion: We have many legal drugs already with alcohol being the worst of the bunch based on statistics. On top of this, we treat many addicts as criminals by arresting them which hinders future employment by giving them a police record. Is drug use a personal choice? You are damn right it is. A good number of people quite after just trying once and others can quite at anytime. Those that cannot control the addition are truly victims of their own physiology and thus they need our help. What I have stated here in this issue is what some countries are already doing to help the drug addicted members of their populations. It is time the drug war ends and that we help the addicts rather than scorn them.
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