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Fighting The Drug War On A Different Frontier

The war on drugs costs the United States 47 billion dollars a year.

What costs the United States 47 billion dollars a year? The war on drugs costs the United States 47 billion dollars a year.

In 2016, the U.S. jailed two million people for drug offenses.

In 2016, how many people did the U.S. jail? The U.S. jailed two million people in 2016. Did they jail them for violent crimes? No, they didn’t jail them for violent crimes. They jailed them for drug offenses.

And in 2017, 72,000 people died from accidental drug overdoses.

In 2017, what did 72,000 people die from? In 2017, 72,000 people died from accidental drug overdoses.

It’s safe to say the conflict has been a costly failure.

Is it safe to say the conflict has been a costly failure? Yes, it’s safe to say the conflict has been a costly failure.

In 2014, journalist Johann Hari began studying the root causes of addiction.

What did journalist Johann Hari begin studying in 2014? In 2014, journalist Johann Hari began studying the root causes of addiction.

He asked why are we at war with drug addicts?

What did he ask? He asked why are we at war with drug addicts?

Is it the illegality of drugs that destroys addicts, or the drugs themselves?

Which does Hari suspect destroys addicts, the illegality of drugs or the drugs themselves? Hari suspects the drugs themselves destroy addicts.

When societies ban a drug and then criminalize its users aren’t they barking up the wrong tree?

Does Hari think that when societies ban a drug and then criminalize its users, they are on the right path? No, Hari does not think that when societies ban a drug and then criminalize its users that they are on the right path. Hari thinks that when societies ban a drug and then criminalize its users, they are barking up the wrong tree.

An innovative scheme in Switzerland suggests the answer is as plain as day: unique treatment centers for drug addicts.

What suggests the answer is as plain as day? An innovative scheme in Switzerland suggests the answer is as plain as day. Is the answer a unique prison complex for drug addicts? No, the answer is not a unique prison complex for drug addicts. The answer is a unique treatment center for drug addicts.

In these centers, addicts are provided with clean needles and a place to inject.

Are the addicts provided with filthy needles? No, the addicts are not provided with filthy needles. The addicts are provided with clean needles.

What else are the addicts provided with? The addicts are also provided with a place to inject.

They are also given as much medical grade heroin as they need in safe doses.

How much medical grade heroin are they given? They are given as much medical grade heroin as they need. Is it in dangerous doses? No, it isn’t in dangerous doses. It is in safe doses.

People feared such a program would lead to a stark increase in drug addiction. It didn’t.

What did people fear such a program would lead to? People feared such a program would lead to a stark increase in drug addiction. Did it? No, it didn’t.

Instead, it led to a decrease in both usage and drug-related crimes.

Did it lead to a decrease in usage? Yes, it led to a decrease in usage. What else did it lead to a decrease in? It also led to a decrease in drug-related crimes.

Medical prescription has destroyed heroin’s image in Switzerland.

What has medical prescription done to heroin’s image in Switzerland?

Medical prescription has destroyed heroin’s image in Switzerland.

The Swiss now see users as people with a chronic disease, not as criminals.

Do the Swiss still see users as criminals? No, the Swiss no longer see users as criminals. How do they now see users? The Swiss now see users as people with a chronic disease.

Prescription heroin also enables users to buck the trend of antisocial behavior.

What enables users to buck the trend of antisocial behavior? Prescription heroin enables users to buck the trend of antisocial behavior.

Without resorting to desperate measures to get the drugs, users have enough breathing space to get their lives back on track.

Do users have to resort to desperate measures to get the drugs? No, users no longer have to resort to desperate measures to get the drugs. What do they now have enough breathing space to do? Users now have enough breathing space to get their lives back on track.

During his studies, Hari stumbled across a breakthrough experiment.

What did Hari stumble across during his studies? During his studies, Hari stumbled across a breakthrough experiment.

Early in the 20th century, rats were put alone in a cage with two water bottles.

Were mice put in a cage with five water bottles? No, rats were put in a cage with two water bottles. Were they put in a cage together? No, they weren’t put in a cage together. They were put alone in a cage.

One bottle contained clean water, while the other was laced with either heroin or cocaine.

What did the first bottle contain? The first bottle contained clean water.

And what was the other bottle laced with? The other bottle was laced with either heroin or cocaine.

The rats would usually go hog wild for the drugged water.

Would the rats casually go for the drugged water? No, the rats wouldn’t casually go for the drugged water. They would go hog wild for the drugged water.

Researchers believed this proved that the drug was the most relevant factor in addiction.

What did researchers believe this proved? Researchers believed this proved that the drug was the most relevant factor in addiction.

This explanation didn’t sit well with Doctor Bruce Alexander.

Did this explanation make perfect sense to Doctor Bruce Alexander? No, this explanation didn’t sit well with Doctor Bruce Alexander.

He believed placing a rat in solitary confinement with nothing to do except take drugs was flawed.

Did Hari believe placing a rat in solitary confinement with nothing to do except take drugs was a good experiment? No, Hari didn’t believe placing a rat in solitary confinement with nothing to do except take drugs was a good experiment. He believed it was a flawed experiment.

In 1979, he repeated the experiment. This time around he put the rodents in a bigger and more stimulating cage called the Rat Park.

This time around, was the cage bigger or smaller? This time around, the cage was bigger. Was it more or less stimulating? It was more stimulating.

What did he call it? He called it the Rat Park.

With a partner to mate with and plenty of cheese and toys to stimulate them, the outcome was different.

Did the rats have a partner to mate with? Yes, the rats had a partner to mate with. What else did the rats have to stimulate them? The rats had plenty of cheese and toys to stimulate them.

The rats ignored the water laced with drugs.

Did the rats continue to drink the water laced with drugs? No, the rats didn’t continue to drink the water laced with drugs. They ignored the water laced with drugs.

Hari believed the experiment proved the environment we live in plays an important role in addiction.

What did Hari believe plays an important role in addiction? Hari believed the environment we live in plays an important role in addiction.

He suggests throwing addicts in jail is aggravating the problem.

What does he suggest is aggravating the problem? He suggests throwing addicts in jail is aggravating the problem.

Prison for an addict is the human equivalent of the standard rat cage.

For an addict, what is the equivalent of the standard rat cage? Prison for an addict is the human equivalent of the standard rat cage.

It erodes their self-esteem and alienates them from society.

Does it boost their self-esteem? No, it doesn’t boost their self-esteem. It erodes their self-esteem. What does it alienate them from? It alienates them from society.

This lack of connection leads to a vicious cycle of increased addiction.

Does this lack of connection lead to a virtuous cycle of increased happiness?

No, this lack of connection doesn’t lead to a virtuous cycle of increased happiness. This lack of connection leads to a vicious cycle of increased addiction.

It seems that the results speak for themselves.

Do the results speak for themselves? Yes, the results speak for themselves.

Perhaps we should all consider a more reasonable and humane approach to the war on drugs.

What kind of approach should we all consider to the war on drugs? We should all consider a more reasonable and humane approach to the war on drugs.

Legalization might just be the way to restore order to this chaos.

Might criminalization be the way to restore order to this chaos? No, criminalization is definitely not the way to restore order to this chaos.

Legalization might just be the way to restore order to this chaos.