Guiding Questions

• Should addiction be treated as a disease or a personal failure?

• Is punishing drug users a form of justice — or injustice?

• Can a just society ignore the root causes of addiction?

The Double Identity of Addiction

Addiction occupies a strange space between medicine and law.

• Doctors call it a chronic brain disorder.

• Courts often treat it as a criminal offense.

• Families see it as both suffering and betrayal.

Is addiction a choice?

Or a condition that robs people of choice?

The War on Drugs — A War on People?

In the name of justice, many countries have:

• Criminalized drug possession and use

• Imprisoned millions, often from marginalized communities

• Treated addiction with punishment, not therapy

But critics argue:

• Drug laws disproportionately target the poor and people of color

• Incarceration doesn’t cure addiction

• The real crisis is social: poverty, trauma, isolation

Should we reframe the problem — from crime to public health?

Philosophical Perspectives

Aristotle

Saw virtue as a habit — people become who they are by what they repeatedly do.

Does this mean addicts are morally weak? Or caught in destructive routines?

Simone Weil

Wrote about affliction as a spiritual and social force. Addiction may be less about pleasure, and more about escaping unbearable suffering.

John Stuart Mill

Defended liberty unless a person harms others. Should a person be punished for harming only themselves?

Peter Singer

Stresses effective compassion. Justice means using resources in ways that reduce suffering — not just enforce rules.

Two Perspectives

Addiction as Crime

Drug use is a moral failure that breaks the law and endangers others. Accountability means consequences.

Addiction as Illness

Addiction is a medical condition. Justice requires treatment, not punishment.

A Thought Experiment

Two people commit the same crime: burglary.

One was sober.

The other was in withdrawal, seeking drugs to stop the pain.

Should they receive the same sentence?

If justice ignores addiction, is it truly just?

Toward Justice in Addiction

• Decriminalizing drug use

• Expanding access to rehab and mental health care

• Ending mandatory minimum sentencing

• Restorative justice for drug-related crimes

• Harm reduction (e.g., clean needle programs, overdose prevention)

• Education over incarceration

Reflect and Discuss

• Can someone be both a victim and a threat at the same time?

• Have you seen lives ruined more by addiction — or by the system’s response to it?

• What does justice look like for someone trapped in addiction?

Suggested Readings

• Johann Hari – Chasing the Scream

• Gabor Maté – In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts

• Maya Schenwar – Prison by Any Other Name

• Michelle Alexander – The New Jim Crow

• World Health Organization – Health, Drugs and Human Rights