GOOD IDEA –
May 13, 2024 – It seems very cruel to me to recognize how many people are visibly struggling with drug addiction in our state and, essentially, to think that punishment will be a more effective motivator toward sobriety than providing what community support is possible. Housing, in particular, I recognize as a very complex issue, and one that Mr. McClements touched on only briefly. But people who have access to housing are far less likely to turn to drugs to avoid recognizing the pain and humiliation of sleeping on the streets (if they can even manage that without being woken up and forcibly removed from that space).
Like many people in Delaware, I have lost someone I know to a drug overdose. Drug users are human, too, and they are often humans struggling very intensely with things outside of their control. Providing safe environments, safe drugs, clean needles, housing support and other things of that nature could truly be a huge boon for the most underserved members of our community, and it could offer them a chance to find a path out of addiction that would otherwise be unavailable to them. If it would help even one person, isn’t it worth trying?
