ACLU: Treating Addiction as a Disease, not a Crime

[TlalocW]

8. I'm all for decriminalization, help for addicts, etc. Where just this piece loses me is in the URL

It's not a disease. I've lost loved ones to various diseases. There is a scientific definition to a disease, and addiction doesn't fall under it. I'm not a big fan of 12-Step programs like AA (which is not scientific and has a horrible success rate to begin with), but I think part of an addict getting over it is to admit they had a lot of say in his or her addiction. Unless, you're purposely trying to catch malaria by traveling to marshes while wearing Eau de Mosquito, a person really doesn't have a lot of blame when it comes to getting a disease. Scientific purity is already blurring over the whole, "Evolution is just a theory," soundbite creationists use because the general public equates theory with guess. Let's not slide on this one. Addiction is a huge enough problem that needs to be met head on with whatever methods can cure it that it doesn't need to seep over into any other category, including disease.

TlalocW