2009-10-14 23:32:09 - Drug addiction is quite real and can destroy a person's life, but it's not a worthy defense when going up against the legal system. The bottom line is everyone who commits a crime should be held accountable and drug addiction is not an excuse for committing violent crimes. However, should an addict be simply thrown in jail or be rehabilitated as well.

Trois-Rivières, Canada -

Following the Vital Signs report from Community Foundations of Canada, which stated that Kelowna, BC had the highest violent crime rates out of 16 Canadian cities surveyed in 2008, Kelowna RCMP Supt. Bill Mckinnon called a press conference on October 7, 2009. First he reassured his citizens by saying they had no reason to feel unsafe in their community, second he made the point that it was not enough to simply jail drug users: “Drugs and violent crime tend to go hand in hand when you have situations where people are running up a debt incurred because of their addictions, and they can’t pay it. Often these people need help other than just being put in jail,”

McKinnon stated.

Drug court has been a relatively successful system to rehabilitate the nonviolent substance abusing offenders as an alternative of sending them strait to prison. However, what should be done with the addicts who commit violent crimes?

"Without lessening the responsibility of the offenders for their crimes, a drug addict offender should be given the opportunity to do an effective drug rehabilitation program," stated Nick Hayes, a certified chemical dependency counselor and representative of Narconon Trois-Rivières. He added, "It is no secret that drug addiction leads to desperate acts. Thus it's worthwhile for the society, not to mention the family and the individual, to rehabilitate a drug or alcohol addict as most of the crimes committed in our cities are related to drug addiction."

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