
Gain in the number of syringes found in parks in the Bronx in recent years - Alex3917
https://nypost.com/2018/05/21/junkies-are-filling-bronx-parks-with-over-5000-used-needles-a-week/
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IanDrake
Am I crazy or does systematic tolerance (not legalization) of drug use yield
more drug use? Or at least more demanding drug users?

Likewise, does systematic tolerance of homelessness yield more homelessness?

Seems like condoning these behaviors encourages more of the same, while at the
same time allowing those who partake to push the envelope even further.

Anyone have insight on this? I couldn’t find any studies that measure exactly
what I’d like to measure.

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adwi
I’m not an expert, but from my experience with addicts, intolerance pushes
those suffering with addiction further underground, making it more difficult
to engage the population in ways that could lead to meaningfully addressing
the root problem instead of simply hiding it from view.

I understand, at least abstractly, the desire to paint the addict with the
brush of moral failure, but as with the practical process of an individual
getting sober, admitting the problem is the first step in overcoming it.

Until we accept this charge on a societal level—not just choosing whether or
not to “condone” their suffering—nothing will meaningfully change.

And with overdoses killing more people than car accidents and guns in the
United States, maybe the greater moral failure is ours?

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IanDrake
That’s interesting and I see your point.

While I realize addicts might be victims of circumstance and not just victims
of their own bad choices, at some point we have to prioritize safety.

Are parks for tax payers and their children to enjoy the outdoors safely or
are they a place to shoot up? It’s an either or proposition because the two
can’t coexist.

