Question: If I know a small child is living with an alcoholic that is getting drunk every night while she is alone in the apartment as the only guardian should I call social services? She has the balcony across from mine and I can see her get falling down drunk every night. The little girl is about 6 and she is the granddaughter I think.

Jim LaPierre Says...:

Hi there and thank you for your question - your concern is really a matter of common sense and yes urge you t contact whether you are required to by law or not. Its clear that this weighs heavily on your mind and that you have a big heart. If you are feeling brave, I urge you to reach out directly to the woman. Not late in the evening when she is impaired but perhaps much earlier. You could mention that your vantage point view allows you to see things that cause you to be concerned for them both (nonjudgmental)

Good luck and blessed be!

Question: If the war on drugs is systematically punitive toward minorities, by like a 10 to 1 ratio, how can these policies stand on moral grounds? Do we need a new figure, like a Martin Luther King Jr. to hold a mirror up and force policy makers to acknowledge the devastation that election-grabbing policies have wrought? In general, do people in the addiction treatment field support drug-war policies? In general, would people in the addiction treatment field support an end to prohibition of all drugs?

Jim LaPierre Says...:

Wow - great question and you're making some strong points. Short answer - you ask how can existing policies stand on moral grounds and to be perfectly candid with you, I find many of the policies and the application of them to be immoral - but also entirely ineffective.

No one to my knowledge has done anything MEANINGFULLY to survey the beliefs and values of addictions counselors. I don't know that anyone can say what we do or do not support as a group. What comes to mind is you're asking a medic what their thoughts on war are. The best of us are in the trenches fighting a disease that kills and that disease continues to flourish independent of public policy.

You're asking an all of nothing question which makes things problematic. I certainly agree existing policies discriminate against minorities. I certainly see an argument for legalizing marijuana. I'm more concerned with the unavailability of treatment for those in need. I encourage you to narrow the scope and put your efforts into one issue at a time. God luck and pursue your passions.

Question: A lot of countries really support pill testing and even give out little kits at dance events so people can be sure they’re taking something that’s safe, if they choose to take drugs. I’m Australian and it blows my mind how stupid US polices are on harm reduction. Why should anyone want to see people get hurt if they choose to take drugs? I was hassled and threatened with arrest and deportation just for having a tester on me last week at a club. Do you experts agree with this kind of harm ENHANCMENT approach?

Jim LaPierre Says...:

Not sure if you're truly asking a question or making a statement here. Harm reduction models have been shown to be effective in some areas - what you're asking about seems more ideological than pragmatic. To keep it simple, I don't approve of any approach that helps people to continue using drugs, but I recognize that regardless of policy and law that people will do them. I am in favor of harm reduction models like needle exchanges because they limit the spread of disease. Testing substances to identify what they really are? Sure - I'm good with that. I reason that it's better to know what one is putting in one's body than to not know. A lot of addicts I've known simply call the Poison Control or a local pharmacy to identify a substance and this is legal.

What "experts" believe, what public policy dictates and what law enforcement practices are often not congruent. To be critical of US policies on drug abuse makes sense to me - we've been losing the "War on Drugs" since its inception.