© Ty Wright / The New York Times
A forensic drug analyst opens baggies contains various types of heroin which are being examined at the Hamilton County Coroners Crime Lab, in Cincinnati, Ohio, September 1, 2016. Some lawmakers have shifted their focus from prosecuting addicts to pursuing opiate dealers, some even going so far as to suggest the death penalty.
A forensic drug analyst opens baggies contains various types of heroin which are being examined at the Hamilton County Coroners Crime Lab, in Cincinnati, Ohio, September 1, 2016. Some lawmakers have shifted their focus from prosecuting addicts to pursuing opiate dealers, some even going so far as to suggest the death penalty.
The rhetoric of many lawmakers across the country has also swung toward a more "rehabilitation"-oriented approach, particularly in response to the recent rise in opiate overdose deaths. Even many conservative politicians are arguing for treatment-based solutions. This is at least partly because most of those who've died in the recent spate of opiate deaths have been white.
However, the war on drugs is not over; it has simply shifted. And when it comes to opiates - the political arena's main drug focus right now - the shift is from prosecuting anyone who touches the drugs to a focus on aggressively prosecuting those accused of selling them. As one Ohio lawmaker put it, increasingly, "Jail is for the traffickers, treatment is for the addicts." Of course, such statements ignore the fact that those two categories often overlap, and that even people only convicted of possession still sometimes end up in prison. Still, it's those accused of selling drugs who are experiencing the brunt of the ramped-up penalties.
Comment: The Russians did it! Here's more on Podesta's email leaks: