What's the matter with Louisiana?
A proposed bill, HB332, would double the penalty for heroin possession, and would mandate at least 2 years minimum for any conviction.
But that doesn't mean harsher criminal penalties are the answer to this public health crisis. Cheap heroin availability and abuse is thought to have many causes - including people who got addicted to prescription opiate pain medications, either for legitimate injury pain or otherwise - and then found their supply dried up.
Turning to heroin to support for addiction is obviously a desperate move. And desperate people trying to manage day to day with a crippling addiction aren't likely to be concerned with the abstract notion of "what are the penalties if I get caught"?
While Louisiana looks to crank up punishment, public opinion is clearly turning toward less incarceration and more treatment. A recent poll on the nation's thoughts on drug abuse and reform showed that 67% of Americans believe the govt should focus on treatment, not prosecution and punishment. And 63% see mandatory minimum jail sentences for non-violent drug charges as a bad idea.
Hopefully this law will not pass, but it is unfortunate that a few people still see harsher punishment and and aggressive pursuit of the war on drugs as the answer. The American people clearly disagree.
A proposed bill, HB332, would double the penalty for heroin possession, and would mandate at least 2 years minimum for any conviction.
Heroin abuse nationwide is an increasing problem, of that there is no doubt. The Governor of Vermont devoted his entire State of the State address to the problem of heroin abuse in that state.“We haven’t seen the worst if this stuff really takes root,” said state Rep. Terry Landry, D-Lafayette. Landry, a former State Police superintendent, said he saw the effects of heroin when he worked as a policeman in the 1970s. He characterized HB332 as a preventative measure.
But that doesn't mean harsher criminal penalties are the answer to this public health crisis. Cheap heroin availability and abuse is thought to have many causes - including people who got addicted to prescription opiate pain medications, either for legitimate injury pain or otherwise - and then found their supply dried up.
Turning to heroin to support for addiction is obviously a desperate move. And desperate people trying to manage day to day with a crippling addiction aren't likely to be concerned with the abstract notion of "what are the penalties if I get caught"?
While Louisiana looks to crank up punishment, public opinion is clearly turning toward less incarceration and more treatment. A recent poll on the nation's thoughts on drug abuse and reform showed that 67% of Americans believe the govt should focus on treatment, not prosecution and punishment. And 63% see mandatory minimum jail sentences for non-violent drug charges as a bad idea.
Hopefully this law will not pass, but it is unfortunate that a few people still see harsher punishment and and aggressive pursuit of the war on drugs as the answer. The American people clearly disagree.