It is not I who become addicted, it is my body - Jean Cocteau
The British Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has announced that drug addicts who refuse to accept treatment will lose their state benefits for up to six months under new government measures.
There are ways and means to stop people killing themselves from their addictions and on most occasions some need to hit the bottom of the barrel before they realise that they truly have problems.
While I admire the idea that taking benefits away will force addicts to do get clean and sober there will always be those that will do anything for the next fix. I suppose it comes down to a lot of what if’s.
The scaremongers will no doubt that six months without benefits will no doubt increase crime and thus make things harder to police and control. A look at the current and some would say things could not get any worse.
The best buildings have the best foundations and are the ones that last the longest. If you come up with a policy that is trying to change things at the top of the building, you would want to be very sure that the foundation is secure enough to withstand the change.
From all accounts the drug and drink problems that the major cities all over the world experience would lead us all to believe that the foundations are not there and that education in these matters might be the primary key. If we educate and inform of the risks that are being taken not just to the body and mind but also to a person’s freedom; they may start to understand why any form of addiction can be a dangerous thing.
As it is authority is not respected enough for this to happen. These new policies will be welcome, but perhaps a system is put in place that will help to educate those who take in excess of drugs and find that they are out of control or even for those who are thinking of taking drugs.
A policy that will only give peace of mind to the politicians who create it will not help.
Wednesday, February 27th, 2008 and is filed under Thoughts & Questions, Views on News.
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