Substance Abuse: Is it a Disease?

Introduction

Research on drug addiction makes it plain it is a disease. At the same time, possession of the drugs is illegal and therefore a crime. As drug addictions rise and convictions for drug use and other drug-related crimes lead to prison overcrowding, what is the solution?

In preparation for this discussion, review the videos from this unit’s studies and Chapter 16 of your course text. In this chapter, you will read about the tripartite conceptual model proposed by Paul Goldstein (1985). Goldstein identifies three main types of drug-related crime: (1) psychopharmacologically driven crime, (2) systemic crime, and (3) economically compulsive crime.

Instructions

In your main post:

• Provide two specific examples of the behaviors of criminals that may be associated with an offender’s substance abuse.
• Identify each example as one of the tripartite conceptual model types of drug-related crimes.
• Explain whether the criminals in your examples should be sent to a regular court and be jailed or sent to drug court and receive treatment.