Prosecute sharers and co-users?

...Michael Malcolm’s younger son was charged in the overdose death of his older brother, with whom he shared drugs purchased on the internet. The cost of prosecution and incarceration, Mr. Malcolm said, would have been better spent on addiction treatment that the family could not afford. “It’s kind of like blaming the leaves on the tree, you know?” he said. “What about the roots?”

NYTimes link to article: Prosecute sharers and co-users?

It is interesting that the article includes case vignettes from Hibbing, Minnesota.

The late addictionologist Nils Bejerot, of Sweden, advocated civil penalties that included sending users to forest camps isolated from drug supplies and difficult to leave on foot. The idea was to separate users from never-users to curb person-to-person sharing. Hibbing might consider thst approachin lieu of prison time. In its nearby Boundary Waters Wilderness Area, it’s possible to get 50 miles into the wilderness with several days of canoeing, and it would be quite difficult to leave on foot or solo, especially if the paddles are in a locked box. Plenty of gih and berries. Cheaper accommodations than a prison or jail.

Civil libertarian thoughts are needed.