Ken Breun’s letter (“Punishment works in war on drugs,” Our Readers’ Views, Sept. 26) is grotesque and atavistic, and what he advocates is neither safe nor effective. We have known for decades that compulsive misuse of drugs is a learning disorder, and is associated with trauma in the vast majority of cases. We have also known that destroying lives through the carceral system only perpetuates generations of crime and trauma. And we also know that forcing people into “treatment,” especially religious based “treatment” such as 12-step programs is associated with an exacerbation of harmful behavior.
And finally we have known for decades and with our experience in marijuana legalization that law enforcement has an inherent ethical conflict of interest in advocating for an expansion of its powers. I do agree with Breun’s statement that, “We need to stop making policy decisions based on how they make us feel, and make decisions based on the use of our intellects.” Indeed, policy decisions should not arise from base instincts such as Breun’s, but on compassionate care based on best practices. That excludes the hypocritically moralistic and vengeful approaches of punishment.
