The Problem with Illegal drugs and Homelessness in America
There's a negative connotation whenever someone on the streets says anything involving drugs let it be they took or sold them, they are turned away from and seen as some kind of scum that deserved what happened to them. Without even being allowed to fully tell their story or even have the benefit of the doubt.
This is a problem that is very overlooked. Yes, drugs are bad for an overall reason and cause, but you also must think of the situations that lead people to have to distribute, take or sell drugs. Drugs are seen as a root problem in America and that the first minute you take it you're going downhill and will end up as a disgusting person who doesn't care about others or more importantly themselves. It’s not this though it's so much more than this and that leads into a deeper conversation so let's embark on this adventure.
Now as I said before it's more than just wanting to distribute, take or sell drugs. It's becoming a thing of survival and being able to finally get a peace of mind and a sense of calm is hard to get in this ever-growing society. For somewhere home life may be too much to deal with or their life is becoming a bit overbearing, this is the way they choose to turn. Something that will calm them and bring them to a serene and time-slowing peace. That is not to say that this is always the right choice or a choice that should always be made but it's an understandable one. With covid being ramp it and its siblings all being on the loose at these times it makes sense when people break, let it be from home life or family life. Now it can be taken to far, but things happen, and we can't always blame the person we also have to look at the situations, the person has most likely heard what you're already about to tell them and they understand how the situation looks but you don't understand how it affects them or how it affected them in the past.
Another situation in which a person can be involved with drugs is because they have no other means to getting a job or getting money, if you have a family and you’re reading this imagine how hard it was or is for them to think they won't be able to provide for their family it makes sense has to why they would do it. It's hard getting jobs now, having a virus just makes it even harder and more difficult to provide for yourself or a family. So when people turn to drugs or the streets it's seen as a last resort or means of getting money, no one wants to do this in a long term job and it's obviously not something you can grow old in but in hard situations come hard choices. Now just because you wouldn't do it doesn't change anything because you weren't in their shoes going through their life and dealing with their stuff so by telling them off doesn't do anything but remind them of their choices. it may not look good in your eyes but that was their only choice.
There are many other reasons that I haven't even touched upon that can also tell you reason as to why someone always drugs to take place in their life, but the most important part is that even if none of these are the case and the person is just taking them that doesn't give you the right to dehumanize them and make them any less than a person. They are a person just like you are, and they should be treated as such, no matter what they did. Remember that before you go up and ask someone why they're there and try to tell them what they should think about themselves.
Until next time, Niah (They/She)
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