crime

Drug addict spared prison in rare court decision lauded as example

22 Comments

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Awesome, drug dependence is an ofliction,a medical problem rather than a custodial fix.

Be it alcohol, stimulants, weed jail just costs more to society than therapy.

14 ( +15 / -1 )

Agreed, Cricky.

What addicts need is company and fellowship to get over their problems, not isolation.

14 ( +15 / -1 )

Great decision. In these cases, jail is just a temporary solution. This is actually dealing with the problem, bettering peoples' lives.

11 ( +12 / -1 )

Nice to see a forward thinking action by the judge. Hopefully more of these will follow.

8 ( +10 / -2 )

wow, only in japan would a drug addict turn himself into the police. but japan, and the rest of the world, need to get out of the business of imprisoning drug offenders. it's a huge waste of time and money.

8 ( +8 / -0 )

Drug use is a freedom of choice, illegality and subsequent Crimes are purely due to the illegality of being addicted. It would be far cheeper for a doctor to subscribe and oversee the reduction of dependence than arm a small army of tyrannical cops.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

@nakanoguy01: I agree that imprisoning drug offenders may be a waste of time and money, but my impression is that it is rare for a person to be a drug offender and not involved in other illegal activity.

Just one more reason to make them legal, so that the prices aren't set by cartels looking to make as much money as I can, causing addicts to turn to crime to support their habits.

6 ( +8 / -2 )

Think it might be time to admit that the War on Drugs like prohibition was a colossal waist of time and unwinable. It's a medical, mental issue exhastubated with jail time and social costs far outwaying the actual problem. Want drugs go to your doctor, not that dude under the bridge. Want help ask the doctor not that dude under the bridge. What is so hard to understand, people take drugs have always. By now we really should be smart, evolved enough to see that.

8 ( +9 / -1 )

Unfortunately, my understanding is that most users will break the law to support their habit and then have to go to jail; although I am for a first chance for non-violent drug users. 

Most users function in society.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Despite part of the focus of the contents being on drugs and drug addiction, as well as prison, this is a positive story and indeed the kind of example we should be trying to achieve with people addicted to things rather than just locking them up.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Redemption is always possible. Impressed with this result.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Oh if only the drugs weren't so expensive, the poor addicts wouldn't be forced into a life of crime. That's such a line of BS.

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

Good to see that there are some people in Japan who understand that drug abuse requires help, not jail.  And if you think about it, isn't it better to rehabilitate them and let them become functioning, taxpaying members of society as opposed to convicts to which your taxes go to support instead?

Just one more reason to make them legal, so that the prices aren't set by cartels looking to make as much money as I can, causing addicts to turn to crime to support their habits.

Not just that. Some of these illegal narcotics are less harmful than alcohol and all are less addictive than nicotine; both of which are legal, cheap, and available nearly everywhere.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

A good news story and I'm all for people who truly want to kick the habit. But those who don't want to? Please people remember that drugs destroy lives, not just the user but the people around them, the families, the friends and the people that may have had a crime committed against them whether it was assault, robbery or a vehicle accident by the drug affected person.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

I'm I'm sorry, it's the cartels fault that I have to commit this violent home invasion robbery, really?

-7 ( +0 / -7 )

sensei258 Today 02:50 pm JST

Oh if only the drugs weren't so expensive, the poor addicts wouldn't be forced into a life of crime. That's such a line of BS.

Addiction is an illness. Sometimes the sufferers have no choice.

I'm I'm sorry, it's the cartels fault that I have to commit this violent home invasion robbery, really?

It's a factor, for sure. But there's many other factors at play. I take it you disagree with the man's rehabilitation?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

A percentage of people will do drugs and be a social problem and far larger a percentage will not be violent, and a large percentage will not except if their addiction overwhelm them. Many drug addicts cause no problem other than breaking thr Law. I'd rather my tax money pays for treatment than an army of government employes dedicated to totally destroying any humanity left in these people.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Oh if only the drugs weren't so expensive, the poor addicts wouldn't be forced into a life of crime. That's such a line of BS.

No one is forced into a life of crime. If they do the crime, it's their responsibility.

But the reality of life is that some people will get hooked on drugs, and will fall victim to that addiction. To support that addiction, they will turn to crime. Some people have this weird idea that after 40 years of the war on drugs, it's suddenly going to work, even though there has literally never been a success in the war on drugs anywhere, ever. Once you accept that the war on drugs cannot and will not ever succeed, it's time to look at risk management - reducing the effects drugs have on society. As one of the spinoff effects of drug usage is crime in order to support drug habits, we'd be much better off as a society if we stopped letting the cartels make money off prices that are inflated by the illegal status of the drugs. Instead, we should be making them legal, controlling them, regulating them, and redirecting the money wasted on criminal enforcement into education and rehabilitation.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Strangerland

I agree, it is very refreshing to see a judge who is forward thinking, and practical.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

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