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TREAT ADDICTS LIKE PATIENTS, NOT CRIMINALS

Regarding Wednesday's article "Heroin abuse, deaths on the rise," as a retired police officer, I am familiar with drug overdose and death.

As a traveler, I have met with doctors and officials in Switzerland to see first-hand the success of their method of handling heroin.

Since 1994 they have treated heroin use as a medical issue and have been rewarded with dramatic decreases in crime, and no one in the program has died of an overdose in 16 years.  This model has been adopted by Germany, Denmark and Holland because it works.

The American model of treating drug addicts as criminals ( except for those addicted to alcohol and cigarettes ) has not worked in decades, despite a trillion tax dollars spent.

Know that my colleagues, such as Madison Police Chief Noble Wray, will always advocate locking abusers up as it provides solid job security and overtime for his officers.

Howard Wooldridge, drug policy specialist, Citizens Opposing Prohibition