Rethinking Criminalization

For decades, the dominant approach to drug use has been simple: punish it. The logic was that fear of legal consequences would deter people from using, selling, or possessing illicit substances. But after years of rising overdose deaths, overflowing prisons, and fractured communities, it’s clear that this approach hasn’t worked.

Criminalization treats substance use as a moral failure instead of what it really is — a public health issue. It forces people underground, away from the supports that could help them. When someone risks arrest for simply possessing what they’re dependent on, they don’t reach out for help. They hide. And when they hide, they die.

Evidence from places like Portugal and Switzerland shows that treating addiction through healthcare and harm reduction, rather than punishment, saves lives. In Portugal, after decriminalizing all drugs in 2001, overdose deaths dropped dramatically and rates of HIV infection plummeted. People were getting help.

In contrast, punitive systems like the “War on Drugs” disproportionately target marginalized groups, deepen poverty, and make recovery harder. A criminal record can close the door to housing, employment, and education — all of which are key to long-term stability and healing.

If we want real change, we have to shift how we think. Supporting people through compassion, access to treatment, and harm-reduction services works better than fear and punishment ever have. Every statistic and every lived story shows the same thing: no one recovers because they were handcuffed. They recover because someone reached out instead.