Officials say as much as 85 percent of crime can be traced back to a defendant with a drug problem
No doubt about it…but there are two issues going on here. One is that the vast majority of crime is tied to drug abuse, yes. The other is that we have made being addicted a criminal offense instead of a disease that needs to be treated.
We need to address the problem on parallel tracks, prevention and treatment. We need to work harder and invest more in preventing drug and underage alcohol use before it starts. We also need better resources for people who are addicted to drugs and alcohol to get help before they commit other crimes and even when the commit other crimes.