....It seems some other places have had better results for less money treating substance abuse as a health issue VS a criminal issue....
....It could be time to rethink things is my view.
One of the recent steps taken in your state is to allow the legal use of marijuana. But, that implies that there is also an illegal use. The penalty for a crime, make a doctors appointment?
You did say the offenses are not all equivalent, and not all should be released from prison. Does it make sense to encourage the use of something then turn around and say, you have a medical problem, get help.
Some eighty percent of ocare enrollees are subsidized as it is, one way of paying the bills is to sell off unproductive fed land that's only used by a few hunters. No, I'm not playing games, just pointing out that medical costs are a sixth of our entire economy, and creating new patients and making them wards of the medical community does seem like a thought through solution.
Maybe, since body art is so popular, a big tattoo on the forehead is a thought to purchase at pot shops or to get medical coverage for addiction. That way folks that enjoy getting high can identify like minded people easily, and the medical folks know that the einsteins with the tats get penciled in at the back of the waiting list.
