• Consider the different possibilities and Christian responses in this chapter,
and defend, in your initial post, a possible way to deal with minor drug
offenses that might be more effective than jail terms.
As I reflect on this question, I cannot help but to think about my experiences as a police
officer and the many lives that I encountered who were affected by addiction. I have taken
enforcement action against hundreds of people, some of which, were arrested and others were
simply cited. I have seen overdoses; abuse and neglect which resulted in placing the addict's
children into state custody; countless thefts, robberies, burglaries, and other property crimes
because of the stranglehold that addiction has on the lives of its victims. I responded to
overdoses on more than one occasion where an opiate addict was unconscious and
unresponsive, but we were able resuscitate them with Narcan only to have them turn
combative because we "stole" their high. In the latter, criminal charges were rarely filed, but
in many other situations, charges were filed which sometimes resulted in lengthy prison
sentences.
Maybe, it is the cynicism of a career in law-enforcement, but I tend to believe that treatment
and rehabilitation are mostly ineffective when dealing with addicts. I believe that in order to
see successful results, there must be "buy-in" from the addict. In other words, he or she must
be willing to change their lifestyle choices. In my opinion, too many people use treatment or
rehabilitation plans to manipulate something or someone, and once they get their desired
results, it all gets pushed aside and they fall back into their life of addiction that leads them to
a much more dangerous and reckless lifestyle. Conversely, there were many others, who did
not belong in jail because it would only make their situation worse. As a police officer, those
were the ones who I really wanted to help. f
Christian Responses
"The greatest contribution the Christian and the church can make toward deterrence is to
faithfully teach God's holy standards and God's holy judgment" [1]. Therefore, as a Christian,
my job is not to ridicule, reprimand, or remind the addict that what they are doing is wrong
because in most cases, they already know they are wrong. My job is to love and teach them
what it means to have a relationship with Christ--it is the Holy Spirit that will transform and
renew them.
As believers, we have all seen the meth-addict who was radically transformed by a
relationship with Christ because he surrounded himself with believers who showed him love
and encouragement; instead of, ridicule and shame. However, that does not mean that a
Christian should or will condone the unhealthy lifestyle of an addict. Sometimes, we must
demonstrate "tough love" and stand firm towards "right and wrong." According to
McQuilkin, acting from a posture of love can include reporting crimes to the police [2].
Furthermore, as a police officer, my job was to enforce the law, and until the laws change
towards drug use, addicts will continue to go to jail. At some point, there will come a time
when they no longer want to be in the justice system, so they will either change their lifestyle,
or they will get better at not getting caught. Of course, society would prefer the lifestyle
change, but several things need to happen first including changing their belief systems about
themselves. Those addicts that I know who have changed their behavior started by changing
their beliefs about their identity. Their identity is now in Christ and not in the substance that
controlled them.
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[1] Robertson McQuilkin, An Introduction to Biblical Ethics (Downers Grove, IL:
InterVarsity Press, 2014), 442.
[2] Ibid., 442.
