Prolific offender gets time served and acceptance into a rehab program.
Here is why.
Please read to the bottom for a perspective.
"Defence lawyer Murray Armstrong said Worthington had been doing well in life, having worked as a foreman at the Highland Valley Copper mine for some 20 years, but added he and his wife fell on hard times a few years ago due to their drug addictions. The couple has three children — two teens and a three-year-old — who were removed from their home by the government twice despite the pair attending drug treatment, Armstrong said, adding the Worthingtons spiraled from there and wound up living on the streets of Kamloops.
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“They ended up losing their house, they lost their car, losing the kids,” Armstrong said."
"Judge Phillips acknowledged Worthington’s desire to get his life together after his fall from grace and agreed to the joint submission of the time served sentence, with no credit for pre-trial custody."
JUDGEMENTALISM
Many, if not most of us can not comprehend the concept of drug addiction.
Consider for the moment, you've sustained an injury the repair of which is considered elective. You have debilitating pain which is not relieved by cannabis or other non-prescription medication. A physician tries various combination of pain medications which don't drop your pain from a 10/10.
The next step is narcotics. The "low level" opioid brings your pain down to a manageable 3/10.
You return to return to work.
Doctor says, "I'm authorizing this for 6 months maximum. If you don't have your shoulder surgery by then, we'll try something else but the narcotics will end."
Three months later you get the call. There is a cancellation. "Can you come in two days from now?"
"Stop taking all medication...including the opioids."
The first 12 hours is not too difficult. Then the hallucinations set in, spiders crawling over your body, in your ears, in your eyes. You shake uncontrollably. You sweat profusely. You mumble. You scream.
You make it through the 48 pre-surgery hours but you are drained.
Hospital blood work shows you are negative for narcotics.
Several staffers look at you strangely as though they didn't think you could kick it cold-turkey.
Surgery is successful. Zero pain but surgeon gives you a prescription for Oxycodone-75 mg.
You tear up the prescription.
If this person wasn't able to quit, he or she might hit the streets to fill their needs.
Research shows that thousands of addicts are functioning citizens who are working their way to oblivion as their narcotic needs rise as their tolerance for the drug increases.
President Reagan initiated the War on Drugs which included covert invasion of Columbia seeking cocaine production facilities. It was a massive failure, cost billions to support and created animosities toward America around the world for its covert actions.
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"Reagan focused on criminal punishment over treatment led to a massive increase in incarcerations for nonviolent drug offenses, from 50,000 in 1980 to 400,000 in 1997.