Addiction as a disease
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has won over the likes of many with his views on the War on Drugs, legalization of medical and recreational marijuana, the view of addiction as a disease, and addiction treatment availability.
In this infographic we present to you some of the most striking quotes by Bernie Sanders. Check it out and join us for a discussion in the comments section at the end of the page. We welcome your questions and feedback and try to respond personally and as soon as possible.
His opinion on The War on Drugs
Treating drug use as a crime has clearly done more harm than good for the United States, and Bernie knows this!
Bernie Sanders has labeled the War on Drugs in the US as a failed policy, since in his opinion, it never succeeded to put the drug-use epidemic to an end. He speaks his mind that incarceration punishments are not working and criminal justice system needs to be reformed. Not only has the War on Drugs been ineffective and harmful, as Sanders says, it has destroyed people’s lives by massively incarcerating non-violent offenders. Bernie Sanders says,
“We have far too many people in jail for non-violent crimes, and I think in many ways, the war against drugs has not been successful.”
His opinion on marijuana legalization
Bernie supports the legalization of recreational marijuana. Although at first he didn’t have any personal thoughts regarding marijuana and spoke of it as a gateway drug, later he started supporting legalization saying that if he lived in a state with a legalization ballot he’d vote “for it”.
Bernie, then filed the a bill called the “Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2015” in the Senate, and sought to end the federal criminalization of marijuana.
Access to drug addiction treatment
During a discussion on the heroin epidemic in the United States, Bernie said that addiction is a disease and not a criminal activity. He has also addressed America’s healthcare community to “get its act together” when prescribing opioid medications and addressing addiction and mental health issues.
One thing is for sure, this presidential candidate has made some very progressive statements on drug policy. Bernie views addiction treatment as an absolute necessity for people caught up in addiction to opioids and other substances, and adds:
“Once you’re into heroin, it’s either jail, or death.”
Your views on addiction and politics?
We hope you like our infographic series featuring the addiction treatment quotes by the 2016 presidential candidates. Drug laws are a very talked-about issue(s) throughout the campaign, so feel free to SHARE YOUR OPINION BELOW. For any further questions or feedback, we welcome you to post them in the section below.
Reference Sources: 1. To keep people out of jail I think we want to take a hard look at the war on drugs.
Marijuana Politics Staff, published Sept 16, 2015
Available at: http://goo.gl/CBdQAm [Accessed March 16, 2016]
2. When we talk about addiction being a disease, we need a revolution in this country in terms of mental health treatment.
published Jan 18, 2016; WCVB Boston’s News Leader
Available at: http://goo.gl/bM3WVO [Accessed March 16, 2016]
3. Instead of locking up our young people, maybe it’s time we found jobs and education for them.
Bernie Sanders, published Dec 17, 2015, Twitter
Available at: https://goo.gl/iRUS9U [Accessed March 16, 2016]
4. We are unprepared for the epidemic in terms of our mental health capacity to treat people who need treatment.
Sam Stein, published Feb 7, 2014, Huffington Post
Availble on: http://goo.gl/QfilvA [Accessed March 16, 2016]
5. I have supported the use of medical marijuana.
Matt Ferner, published May 19, 2015; Huffington Post
Available at: http://goo.gl/4R4pC7 [Accessed March 16, 2016]
6. We have been engaged in [the war on drugs] for decades now with a huge cost and the destruction of a whole lot of lives of people.
Matt Ferner, published May 19, 2015; Huffington Post
Available at: http://goo.gl/4R4pC7 [Accessed March 16, 2016]
7. We want to make sure that we’re not ruining people’s lives because they were caught with some marijuana, for example.
Marijuana Politics Staff, published Sept 16, 2015
Available at: http://goo.gl/CBdQAm [Accessed March 16, 2016]
8. We must remove marijuana from the federal Controlled Substances Act and allow states the right to go forward, if they choose.
Samantha Lachman and Ariel Edwards-Levy, updated nov 18, 2015, Huffington Post
Available at: http://goo.gl/SqpnWY [Accessed March 16, 2016]
9. My hair was long, but not long for the times. I smoked marijuana, but was never part of the drug culture. That wasn’t me.
Tom Huddleston, Jr., published Sept 18, 2015, Fortune
Available at: http://goo.gl/bGlah6 [Accessed March 16, 2016]
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