No justification in denying help, health care to drug users

Some people attempt to justify denying help to people who take drugs by arguing that they “make poor lifestyle choices.” Why not apply this logic to the rest of society?

With regard to obesity, why should my tax dollars go toward enabling people who choose to harm themselves? How many heart attacks or strokes until we say enough is enough? They’re a burden on our health-care system. If they really wanted to, they could control their weight. What about people who engage in dangerous sports? Or how about people who get into car accidents when they speed or don’t pay attention to the road?

Do I sound like an insensitive, callous monster? Yet most people don’t feel any outrage when these exact same sentiments are expressed about people who use drugs.

There are many in our community who feel no shame revealing their hatred toward drug users. It has become acceptable to talk about addicts in ways we never would about any other members of society. But how can we expect people to heal when we tell them they deserve their suffering or that they aren’t worth fighting for?

Health care shouldn’t be based on someone’s opinion of right versus wrong. If you break your arm, it doesn’t matter whether it was due to something out of your control or entirely your own fault — either way, the body needs to heal. Debating whether addiction is a matter of choice or assigning blame to people who use drugs misses the point and provides no useful solutions to the problems our communities face.

Evan Crippon

Cambridge