In the search for new ideas to old problems, we're starting to talk about a controversial suggestion to open up state sponsored injection facilities for heroin addicts. Here's what's happening right now in New Bedford, and other cities; there are billions in taxpayer's dollars going towards fighting addict crime and robberies, paying for EMT's, Narcan and ambulances, police and fire personnel, compensations, and did I mention the enormous cost of incarceration? So if you hate government waste with absolutely nothing changing for the better, you'll be interested to know in Vancouver, Australia and Europe the cost of recovery is much, much less and their success rate is measurable!

I expect to draw a lot of criticism for talking about this. But nothing changes until something changes! One reason people resist change is because they focus on what they have to give up, instead of what they have to gain. And when the state becomes the dealer, addicts no longer need to commit crimes to get their fix. That means fewer druggies slumped over the steering wheel, reduced break ins, fewer robberies and less prostitution. In other words, we save billions of dollars collectively while community safety improves!

Addiction is a community disease. One person may use, but the whole community suffers. We've lost enough generations to this. The dead beat dads, the broken and dysfunctional families, the filled prisons, the blight of the 'hood and the waste of taxpayers dollars for zero results is a silent scream that we need to approach this differently. Sometimes what you're most afraid of doing is the very thing that will set you free.

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