Swiss To Give Addicts Free Heroin Even As They Keep Marijuana Illegal
This doesn’t make any sense. In terms of social impact, marijuana is a lot less detrimental than heroin. Yet in Switzerland if you become a heroin addict you’ll have your addiction subsidized by the government. But if you smoke a joint, you’re going to jail apparently.
The article credits the heroin entitlement program with getting large groups of heroin users out of the public’s eye (they had apparently taken to gathering in large groups and shooting up openly in parks and such), but doesn’t that seem a bit like sweeping the problem under the rug? Can you really call it a success when you “solve” your problem with heroin addicts by moving them out of the public eye and keeping them full of government-provided drugs?
That’s just not a solution I can get behind. But that a society could approve such a solution, but then turn around and keep marijuana illegal, is just baffling to me. Free drugs for one group of drug users, but jail for another?
