I once joined police on a raid into a crack house while filming a documentary. It felt like breaking into a leukemia ward—people slumped, sick, broken. Not criminals. Just suffering. Addiction isn’t a crime issue—it’s a health issue. Until we see that, we’ll never heal it.

Until said drug users rob for their next hit

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11.11.16 is the day my life truly began. Getting sober is hard. Recovery is even harder. It's worth every challenge & obstacle. 🙌

Its deeper than that. It is a health issue which begins in mental health.

Having worked in a prison, it’s a travesty putting users in prison.

It's both. The illness and criminal behavior go hand-in-hand.

True, and part of the problem is the current treatment for that illness. A lot of them are being told it's a disease and can't really be cured, so they adapt a victim mentality and don't do anything about it

It is safe to live near a leukemia ward. It is not safe to live near a crack house.

To push it one more step....it's a mental health issue cloaked in a physical issue. You can be sure a high percentage of addicts are hiding from something internal them as opposed to running toward something external

This mindset is the problem with drug treatment. The empathy is important and @rustyrockets is not wrong technically, addiction is a mental illness. Most importantly, it is a spiritual malady akin to demonic oppression or even possession. This is why we do the unthinkable and slowly kill ourselves. It must be treated accordingly. Meaning abstinence, confinement, and consequences for actions. Not to mention, the treatment cannot be secular. I didn’t get better until I submitted to Christ. Secular treatment, medically assisted, and harm reduction only keep people sick.