Pubdate: Thu, 18 Aug 2016
Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer (Philippines)
Copyright: 2016 Philippine Daily Inquirer
Contact:  http://www.inquirer.net/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1073
Author: Ethan Chua
Note: Ethan Chua, 18, is an incoming freshman at Stanford University, 
a student journalist, and a spoken word poet.

THE VICTIMS OF WAR

We want to know what the young are thinking about.

What are their thoughts on current issues?

We welcome contributions from the twentysomething and below.- Ed.

HUNDREDS HAVE died and thousands have voluntarily surrendered to 
authorities in the course of President Duterte's war on drugs.

And though his violent and urgent campaign has done much to bring the 
issue to the national conversation, it also reveals how ill-equipped 
our legal infrastructure is in dealing with the victims of this war. 
The infrastructure required for the rehabilitation of drug users is 
lacking, and the way our law treats drug offenders is unfair and dehumanizing.

Currently, drug addicts who are convicted of possession of dangerous 
drugs face extreme penalties.

According to the Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 (Republic Act No. 9165), 
a drug convict can face life imprisonment and be fined from P500,000 
to P10,000,000 simply for the possession of 10 grams of most illegal 
substances. These harsh penalties treat drug addicts in the same 
level as robbers and murderers. But this punitive approach to drug 
crime rests on a flawed assumption-that drug addiction is the addict's fault.

We put murderers in prison because they chose to commit murder; we 
put robbers in prison because they chose to steal.

But to make the same statement for drug users is to oversimplify the 
nature of addiction. Though the initial choice to take drugs is 
primarily the user's, the physical dependence on the substance that 
follows is not. In fact, research in addiction reveals that it is not 
caused by a lack of will, but rather by a combination of biochemical 
and social factors that are outside the user's control.

Biochemically, drugs have been found to alter the structure of the 
brain in order to create physical dependence. The result is not just 
an abstract desire for drugs, but also a physical need for the 
substance which manifests in severe withdrawal symptoms if the drugs 
are avoided.

In addition, according to a Harvard Medical School health report, 
genetic research has shown that some people are predisposed to 
addiction, making them more susceptible to continued drug use.

A recent book by Johann Hari titled "Chasing the Scream" argues that 
drug dependence is fostered by feelings of social isolation.

Hari cites a study that followed American troops in the Vietnam War: 
20 percent of the soldiers were using heroin during the war, yet when 
they returned home, 95 percent of them went on to live their lives 
without an addiction to the drug. Hari argues that the stressful 
conditions created by the Vietnam War exacerbated the soldiers' 
dependence-conditions that were no longer present back at home, where 
the soldiers had friends, family, and a support system.

In other words, drug addiction isn't just an individual choice; 
rather, it's a consequence of adverse social factors.

But what these biochemical and social factors have in common is that 
they are primarily outside the drug user's control.

Once addiction sets in, the user cannot choose to physically reset 
his or her brain and remove his or her dependence; similarly, the 
user cannot choose to create a social environment that is more 
accepting and supporting.

Though the threat of life imprisonment and fines amounting to 
millions of pesos may on the surface deter people from using illicit 
substances, it does not strike at the heart of the problem.

Fear of punishment does not eliminate the social conditions that lead 
to addiction. Neither does it eliminate the biological dependence on 
the drug that users gain. And a lifetime in prison or even the 
possibility of death is a needlessly harsh answer to an addiction 
that is often outside the user's control.

Luckily, steps have been made in the right direction.

RA 9165 also states that drug users can voluntarily submit to 
treatment and rehabilitation: This provision in the law is the 
beginning of what can hopefully become a rehabilitative approach to 
dealing with drug crimes. Additionally, under the Duterte 
administration, law enforcement is taking steps to crack down on the 
trade in illegal drugs, and thousands who have surrendered now 
undergo treatment and rehabilitation.

Nevertheless, more can be done. What of the many drug criminals who 
do not surrender voluntarily, due to many possible reasons-biological 
dependence, shame, ignorance of the possibility of treatment, or even 
a fear of being killed outside the law? Do they deserve the harsh 
penalties currently in place?

And though the rehabilitation programs in place are admirable, are 
they effective enough to deal with the thousands of surrendering addicts?

Laying the groundwork for the rehabilitation of drug users will not 
be easy, and our political and social systems have a long way to go. 
But this is work that needs to be done-work that recognizes the 
humanity of drug users, and work that recognizes the purpose of the 
law as ultimately to uphold the rights of citizens.

And this is work that needs to be done quickly as thousands of drug 
addicts will be convicted and incarcerated in a continuing campaign 
against drug use. It is inhumane for them to enter a legal system 
which still, for the most part, does not recognize the nature of 
their addiction.

President Duterte won the election with a powerful and admirable 
promise to change the broken systems present in Philippine politics 
and society-a corrupt government, an inefficient political 
bureaucracy, an unequal economy.

It's time for us to bring that change to the legal and social systems 
we have in place for dealing with drug users, and to rethink the 
punitive way we deal with drug-related crime.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom