A Brief Note On Drug Abuse Treatment For Nonviolent Addicts

HLTH 4375 Final Project 1. Explain your health policy concerning this health priority. Replacing Prison Terms with Drug Abuse Treatment for nonviolent addicts Historically, those of a drug or substance abuse are thought of as criminals and given prison terms for their addiction. With the current Heroin epidemic, our prisons are filling-up, costing taxpayers approximately $30,000 a year, per prisoner (msnbc). In particular, Licking County has seen a 47% increase from 2014, in the number of drug overdoses (Bruner, 2016). With such statistics, I find that instead of incarceration, these individuals should be sentenced a court ordered rehabilitation. By doing so, we would be shifting from a criminal issue to a public health issue. Instead of the large amount of taxpayers’ money used for incarceration, we could use such funds to support drug treatment programs, which show stronger record of success. MSNBC states that every dollar invested in drug treatment saves taxpayers more than $18 in crime-related societal costs. My one concern regarding this policy is the safet y of the public. However, I find that such sentence should only be granted to those who are nonviolent, or have no previous criminal history. In addition, I find that drug trafficking or the selling of drugs should result in a more serious/harsh sentence. With the help of important stakeholders, I hope to implement this policy with positive outcomes including survivors living a healthy and fulfilling life, through a