Land of the Free?? Part II

In the first entry of Land of the Free I discussed the absolute assault on our civil liberties that is happening today under George Bush & Dick Cheney. Now i would like to discuss something that has gone on for FAR too long in this country.The "War on drugs" has gone on for decades, irregardless of whether Democrats or Republicans were in power in Congress, and irregardless of whether the president was liberal, moderate, or conservative. This seems to be one of the few things that almost ALL of our politicians go along with, either because they believe in it or are worried about the political consequences of being on the side of the "druggies" and even worse the dealers. Ever since the First Lady Nancy Reagan started telling people how easy it is to "just say no" this country has imprisoned millions for drug use and sales. Don't get me wrong, I am not a proponent of using drugs. On the contrary, I'm in recovery myself and I understand MUCH BETTER than Nancy Reagan the problems associated w/ using drugs. It's just that I recognize that the contempt that the American people and our leaders have for addicts is due to people like her saying that it's as easy as 1-2-3 to stay off drugs. This attitude causes many to see drug addicted people as people w/ lack of moral willpower. They see them as weak, thieves, dirty, disease infected, and beyond our help. That's just the opposite of the truth. The worse off an addict gets, the more likely it is that help is exactly what he needs and wants. As addicts hit bottom, their drug use tends to come into perspective, and w/ the right treatment they can find freedom from the deadly grip.
Instead, what do we do with our fellow brethren who are addicted to drugs? We lock them the hell up. They sit in a cell, becoming more and more isolated, depressed, suicidal, alone, and beyond help. Why shouldn't they feel like they are beyond help? That's exactly the message that is sent to them in 90% of the jails in this country. Now, many addicts commit serious crimes to feed their habit, such as grand larceny, armed robbery, and even murder. I'm not including them in the category of people I'm talkin about. I'm talking about the addicts that are in jail for being addicts, one way or another. Whether it is being caught for possesion or doing a ridiculous 2 year mandatory sentence for dealing to support your habit.
We need to realize that America;s prisons today only create more and better criminals. There is no rehabilitation. Upon entering most prisons in the U.S. inmates have to join a gang to stay alive. This forces them to commit crimes for the gang, and they get more and more cold hearted due to the ghastly environment around them. Then, they are released to the world after however many years, and told to behave. They lose their driver's licenses (at least in Mass. they do) for drug convictions, and they now have a record. Would you hire them for a job? No, absolutely not. The American Justice system continues to work against these people, instead of working to make them better individuals and productive members of society. Wasn't the original intention to rehabilitate these people? It looks like this is one more situation in which America has lost it's way and strayed from the plan.