More Drugs Less Crime

Making heroin more accessible will reduce crime rate among addicts.  That does not seem to make sense considering the possession and sale of the drug is illegal in the first place, however, it can take away the whole motive an addict has to commit crime.  Heroin costs money, and when someone is addicted all they can focus on is getting high.  Once they do not have  any money left to spend on the drug, they have to use alternative methods to get their fix, because no matter what, they will make sure they get their fix.  The easiest alternative method is shoplifts or burglary.  Crime rates will drop because heroin addicts will get their heroin for free and will not feel the need to steal to get their fix.

The prime goal of a heroin addict is to get high and when he does not, the addict experiences withdrawal.  Withdrawal will ruin that person’s life until he gets his fix.  The addict is tunnel-visioned and only sees using at the end.  There are no other paths and going backwards just means that he cannot get high and will experience all of the symptoms of withdrawal.  In his mind the only option is using and finds the quickest way to get money.  Robbery and shoplifting make for an easy high.  Since his crime ended up getting high, he will keep committing since he has an easy source of heroin now.  The overwhelming want, or even need of that drug can lead an addict to the point where even obtaining a secondary source to get the drug is enough motivation to shoplift even if he does not feel the need to get high or the effects of withdrawal at the time (Heroin Addiction and Crime).

A free heroin clinic provides an addict with the pure heroin and sterilized needles for free.  An addict simply has to provide evidence that he has previously tried to kick the habit.  The clinic will then let him get high a couple times a day for free and all he has to do is show up on time.  Considering their main motivation behind committing crimes is to get their fix, they have no need to burglarize anymore.  Giving the addict drugs is simply giving him time to not worry about how he is going to get high later.  All that it leads to is forward progress and stabilizing the addicts life.

The free distribution of heroin to addicts has shown to work in lowering crime rates among them.  One example is of Britain, who through their trial of free heroin, yielded astounding results among crime rate.  “The number of crimes committed by those in the group dropped from 1,700 in the 30 days before the program began to 547 in the first six months of the trial.(Faure)”  That is a very clear decrease in crime that speaks for itself.  The Danish free heroin clinic also cut crime to a third of what it was before among addicts (Wojcik).  These are clear examples of how free heroin clinics have properly worked.

Free heroin clinics can benefit addicts and people in a multitude of ways.  Lowering crime benefits both the community and the addict.  The addict’s main motivation behind the crimes he commits is to get high.  Taking away the difficulty of it to the point where they are handed their heroin takes away all the motivation behind committing crime.  Simply, heroin addicts will stop stealing because they will be receiving heroin for free.

Faure, Gaëlle. “Why Doctors Are Giving Heroin to Heroin Addicts.” Time. Time Inc., 28 Sept. 2009. Web. 07 May 2015.

Wojcik, Jeppe. “Heroin Clinics Improve Addicts’ Lives.” Sciencenordic.com. Science Nordic, 1 May 2012. Web. 08 May 2015.

“Heroin Addiction and Crime.” NeuroWiki 2013. University of Toronto, n.d. Web. 04 May 2015.