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Why Jailing Drug Abusing Television Stars Is Wrong

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Media Link - Dallas Morning News
Written by Michael J. Hurd, Ph.D.   
Wednesday, 02 May 2001 00:00
The latest arrest and subsequent firing of "Ally McBeal" star Robert Downey, Jr. illustrates why drugs should not be illegal. Mr. Downey obviously has a serious drug problem, and (as a mental health professional) I don't in any way condone drug abuse. However, jailing him will do nothing to cure him. (It clearly hasn't up to now). All arresting him does is make his employer feel compelled to fire him, for public relations reasons. Despite his drug abuse, Mr. Downey managed to do a good job acting on the popular television show over the past year. Why should Mr. Downey's drug abuse be of any concern to anyone except himself, and his employer? The drug abuse would eventually have caught up with him, perhaps causing him to miss work and be fired for reasons unrelated to an arrest. But the government shouldn't be in the middle of it. We live today under the rule of an ineffective, nagging nanny state. Our nagging government tells us what to do, as if we were all children and our "superiors" in government were our parents. Of course, those of us who don't want to listen will refuse to listen -- regardless of what the law requires, and even if it is self-defeating not to listen. Nothing is accomplished, except that politicians can preen before the cameras and say, "Look how compassionate and concerned I am." Take it from a full-time psychotherapist, who works with drug abusers: Controlling others does not constitute compassion. Leaving them alone, to suffer the natural and logical consequences of their actions is what's right and healthy. Court-ordered cases are almost never successful in therapy. People who voluntarily seek help usually do improve. Mr. Downey may or may not get better, but if he does it will be no thanks to our paternalistic government.
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