It’s very easy to fear that which you don’t know (or highly misunderstand). And the average person knows very little about drugs and addiction. Part of this is by design. The very lucrative “war on drugs” would have never happened if people were better informed. TPTB filled us full of fear about drugs and druggies, and Presto! Unlimited funding!
This has left a deep scar upon society which destroyed lives and persists today.
One consequence is the morbid fear felt by most of the populace about drug treatment and the people undergoing it.
In truth, we have much more to fear from the untreated addict than those seeking to overcome their affliction.
A good example is a treatment program instituted by the Retreat especially for professionals and expanded to include police and military officers (Yes, Virginia, they can get addicted, too.)
I don’t know if the program is still in place.
Anyhow, while in treatment, the “addicts” were to be housed in single story homes situated in “nice” neighborhoods.
When word got out, residents of “nice” neighborhoods began to organize to insure that none of these residences were to be located in “their backyard”.
As I said above, we have more to fear from untreated addicts than those seeking to overcome their affliction.
I never followed the outcome of this program. Is it still in place and helping, or did the NIMBYs win out?
Don’t get me wrong. Drugs can be bad, very bad. But we need to help those who wish to overcome them.
