Reader: Drug addicts are more likely to cause harm to themselves than to others

Our post about a bill to reduce penalties for meth possession pitted AG John Suthers, who believes lower sentences will promote drug use, against Christie Donner, a legislation-supporter who advocates treatment over incarceration for low-level users. Readers debated these points, too; here's a post from one who leans toward Donner...

By Michael Roberts

March 29, 2012

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Our post about a bill to reduce penalties for meth possession pitted AG John Suthers, who believes lower sentences will promote drug use, against Christie Donner, a legislation-supporter who advocates treatment over incarceration for low-level users. Readers debated these points, too; here's a post from one who leans toward Donner.

Mlane13579 writes:

You are clearly missing the point of the argument and being extremely ignorant. The point was that drug addicts are hurting no one other than themselves, so there is no good reason to "lock them up and throw away the key." Of course there are cases of addicts causing harm to others while they were high, but there are just as many, if not more cases of people doing the same thing while they were drunk and there are just as many cases of people doing all of that stuff while they were sober. Just because someone has a problem does not mean they deserve to be treated like a horrible criminal. They just made some poor decisions, as most people have, and they need help. Be more accepting of others and don't make ignorant judgement calls for things you have no knowledge of or willingness to understand.

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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