I'm a substance abuse counselor and I think anyone who sells heroin should get life in prison without possibility of parole.

I'm a substance abuse counselor. I've been working in this field for a few years now. Prior to this field, I worked in domestic violence prevention and intervention.<br><br>I used to think that the key to helping our society was gender equality (feminism).<br><br>Then after working in substance abuse counseling, I became convinced that the key to a utopian society was complete legalization of all drugs and publicized unbiased education about the dangers of these drugs. I thought that if we got rid of the black market and allowed open discussion about the dangers of these addictions, we could greatly reduce the amount of people who suffer and die from substance abuse disorders.<br><br>However, the more I learn the more I become convinced that giving people life sentences without possibility of parole would do the most to stop this problem. The more I learn the more pissed off I get. I feel like I've been conned by "my fellow human beings." I feel like I'm stupid for thinking that mankind is inherently compassionate and "good."<br><br>I just can't understand how people can do this to each other. Talk people into becoming a shell of their former self. An addict will do anything for a fix. An addict is capable of carrying out whatever scheme necessary to get a fix. Injecting heroin (and meth) will cause the user to eventually lose all function of their bladder and bowels. They'll shit themselves at random. They'll constantly feel like they need to pee, but can't. It will cause them immense pain, and they'll still choose the drug over fixing the issue because they'll be in withdrawal. This is just one of countless examples. There are a million stories of addicts stealing from their loved ones, losing their jobs, losing their relationships, etc. All because someone sold them heroin. <br><br>If we started giving out life sentences without possibility of parole to anyone who sold heroin, I think we could effectively eradicate heroin use in the U.S. within a few years. It will save countless tax payer dollars in the long run. Addicts are a massive burden to society. That's a fact. We will still need to spend a lot of money on helping current addicts get clean and stay clean.<br><br>I don't feel like a "compassionate" person anymore. I feel like something needs to be done about this. I'd honestly support the death penalty for people who sell heroin, but it would be too hard to pay for. Plus, I think the idea of a piece of shit heroin seller living out the rest of their days in solitary confinement is a nice thought. I'm tired of feeling sorry for addicts. Most of them ask for it. I've always thought that anyone who chooses to use heroin should get life in prison without possibility of parole, but now I'm getting to the point where I'm starting to feel like that for meth users as well, and maybe even smokers.