A better option to treating the opioid crisis is to help those in need now … rather than waiting to see how their suffering will affect them and society as a whole.
The costs are always the same … either be a conservative and villainize these people and let them become a burden on society and costs go towards police, security, emergency health care, judicial and negative social effects from their destroyed lives
… or …
Be more socially minded and spend the funds on helping these people now and prevent them from spiralling out of control and negatively affecting their lives further or the lives of others.
I have, for my spouse and another person in my immediate family (under 18). Mind you, this was before the pandemic, so things may have changed since then (no doubt), but it was far easier to find resources than it was to get a commitment for treatment.
You can’t force someone to get treatment, since these places only accept people who consent to it.
The real problem is that anyone who’s in a mental health crisis, or struggles with substance abuse, lack the perspective to see that they need treatment. We do need more access, but we also need proven strategies to help convince someone to seek treatment (and to stick with it).
It’s a difficult puzzle to solve, and I really empathize with any family or individual who is in this situation.