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Comment by caseysoftware | Hacker News Reader

> ...or drug addicts looking for money for their fix.

What a catastrophically bad idea..

Not all drug addicts commit crimes. There is certainly a place in society for people who fill their void(s) by using drugs. You do need to be careful though, not all addicts are crimeless.

This is a really important thing - I look at addiction largely as a societal neutral, the societal harm is often more from the legal issues surrounding addiction, than the actual addiction itself. Before the laws changed in the early 20th century, prescribing maintenance doses of opioids for example, was considered normal and accepted practice.

I challenge you to explore addiction more fully - it is simplistic to assume that all addicts are opioid-linked and that maintenance dosages would remove harm (methadone programs are basically performing this function, so it is not as though this doesn’t happen).

Firstly, what is societal neutral? Is it where a person is able to indulge in their vices without affecting others, or causing cost to the community? Because if so, drug addiction (of prescription, or legal drugs - alcohol and tobacco - and illegal drugs) fails the test.

Speaking as someone working on the front lines (emergency departments) of societies care for vulnerable people, addiction is an enormous scourge that causes immense harm - particularly with ice which is highly destructive to the individual, their families and the social fabrics of communities.

I'm the child of an addict.

It really depends on how you measure cost - the current regime of punishing it, or treating it as a character weakness is clearly not working - plus moving sustained addiction outside of a care network to the black market, also clearly isn't working either.

Everything we do has a cost to the community, the question is, since we know we can't eliminate the cost, how can we reduce it?

I agree, services to support are very important and models that reduce harm should be encouraged and adopted

Amen! As a former drug addict, I can tell you that I would have given you amazing service. Reason being, that next $10 would have meant the world to me, and I wouldn't jeopardize it for anything. Stealing is hard and I was terrible at it.

It's pretty common to assume that addicts are just pieces of inferior shit. Hell, I felt that way before I was one. That was a rather rude awakening.

I think its that real world experience with someone who had an addiction in your life that will change your worldview - my father is an opioid addict, and an alcoholic - and frankly, he managed to have both of these habits for 50 years and hold down a job, make a living, and (sort of) raise a child. He wasn't there when I was a kid - but I know he did the best job he knew how - even if it wasn't enough - and I can't fault him for it. Same with my mother, who was left emotionally kinda broken by her own childhood.

I've know many current and former addicts in my life - and I don't look at it as a character failing at all - its just an unfortunate luck of the draw when it comes to biology, genetics, and life experience.

I’m more worried about their ability to drive safely. I am not against drugs (I in fact believe legalizing them would be best) however, one should not drive a car when they are either high or on withdrawal because it prevents them from being able to drive safely. I would not want to be the passenger of someone who does drugs regularly because regular usage can have negative affects even after you are no longer high.

You underestimate the sense of poor people who just need a quick ride up the street or are desperate to get to a job that's on the verge of firing them for their lateness because the public transportation has failed them time and time again.

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