AHS Views

A new recommendation from the Australian Parliament regarding how to handle drug addicts is causing considerable controversy: According to a recent article, they want to pull funding from harm minimization programs and put the funds into drug rehab programs that offer drug free approaches.

The committee also announced that young people addicted to drugs should be mandated into drug treatment programs, and that children of addicts should be adopted.

The CEO of an Australian drug rehab center strongly disagrees with the recommendation. He said it will alienate users, and that it ignores families.

Honestly, as a professional in the addiction field and a former addict I think part of this program could work. It will, at the very least, get young people the help they need at an early age so they won’t struggle with substance abuse for years. They also won’t be such a drain on the economy.

The other issues may be controversial, but getting someone through a successful drug rehab program that actually gets them off drugs instead of getting them on a substitute drug is definitely a step in the right direction.