having used drugs at some point saw an initial increase after decriminalization, but then a decline: Drug use has declined overall among the 15- to 24-year-old population, those most at risk of initiating drug use, according to Transform. There has also been a decline in the percentage of the population who have ever used a drug and then continue to do so.”
Hollersen, in his article on Spiegel Online International, adds that,“ the number of drug addicts who have undergone rehab has also increased dramatically, while the number of drug addicts who have become infected with HIV has fallen significantly.”
CONCLUSION
It is important for us to approach this issue from a more sophisticated, nuanced emotional standpoint. When it comes to things like drug use, we have been conditioned to have very extreme reactions to it. However, it is important to recognize grey areas. We need to remember that we are dealing with human beings. People are not robotic mechanical creatures with on and off switches who can easily be categorizes and dumped into convenient boxes. It is the duty of the law, in a sophisticated, civilized world to be able to take these nuances into consideration. There can be no excuse for lazy-law making.
Although addiction can be difficult to understand, it is not as difficult as it has been made out to be. Yes, comprehending brain synapses and neurological ways in which addiction manifests itself is complicated. This can be difficult for the lay person to understand. The average person walking down the street probably has not been educated in the nuisances of addiction and drug use. However, all sane people have the capacity to empathize.
When we see someone in pain, our intuition immediately lets us know that this person needs to be taken care of; they need help and support. Even without a sophisticated understanding of addiction as a disease, everyone can recognize a person in pain, a person living