Some people think that drug addicts should be treated like criminals and sent to jails, while others believe that they should be treated like patients and sent to hospital. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

Some would argue that people who are addicted to

drugs

should go to jail because they have broken the law, while others say that they are sick and should be taken care of in the hospital. While sentencing them to a term in prison is the quick and easy solution, I believe that it is better to be compassionate and help them get better in hospital. On the one hand, custodial sentences provide a short-term solution to the

drugs

problem. By locking up

addicts

the government can take them off the street and they believe that

this

will stop them

using

Change preposition

from using

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narcotics and

also

causing any harm to others.

For example

, in the United

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States

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states

Add a comma

,states

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someone caught with even a small amount of heroin is likely to be locked up for at least a year.

However

, I believe that

this

does not solve the actual problem because drug

addicts

can gain access to

drugs

while in prison and will be still hooked upon release.

On the other hand

, helping drug

addicts

kick their habit under medical supervision is thought to reduce the number of

addicts

in the long term. By treating addiction as a disease and the person with compassion, the root cause can be addressed and that person can eventually become free from

drugs

.

For example

, in Switzerland heroin

addicts

are given free heroin by doctors until they are ready to stop using the drug and

this

has resulted in drug-related crime falling by 80%. I believe

this

method is preferable because addiction is a disease and it benefits both the individual and society as a whole. In conclusion,

although

throwing

addicts

in jail might get them off the streets for a few years, it does not treat the actual problem and

that is

why it is more important to help them get off

drugs

in a medical facility.