I, personally, believe that everyone should have the right to their own consciousness and the ability to alter it. That should be the one thing that nobody can take away from you. There are many functional addicts even ones on harder drugs, and they aren't hurting anybody. They would be hurting themselves less if they had access to clean and regulated drugs.

I do agree that we should have resources and tools for people to help get clean. Most people people don't want to do drugs forever, it's a phase in most people's lives, but if they do want that, they should be allowed to. Nobody is forced to be a productive member of society or be successful. Our time here is short, nobody asked to be here, and the one thing we should be allowed full control over is what is in between our eyes.

That being said, I do agree that treating it like a mental illness can be the right thing to help someone if they are struggling, and I appreciate your addition to the conversation, very much.