Addicts: Patients or Prisoners
Forest City, IA - In 2015, Mike Haugen was promoted to Sergeant at the Iowa State Patrol. Little did they know he was in the grips of a severe opioid addiction. Once his condition was revealed, Haugen received treatment and was then fired from the ISP. However, he was later allowed to resign in-order to retain his pension.
The intent of this post is not to denigrate or shame Haugen for his addiction. Everyone, regardless of profession or status, is susceptible to falling victim to this terrible disease. I just wonder how many people Sgt Haugen had a hand in locking up for suffering from the same addictions he suffered from? I wonder if Haugen sees the damage and stigma the “war on drugs” causes? I wonder if he sees the hypocrisy of his actions?
People suffering from addiction are not criminals, they’re sick. These people should be treated as patients, not prisoners. People suffering from addiction should not be afraid to seek help.
“Mike Haugen was a newly minted sergeant in the Iowa State Patrol and two angels were arguing in his head over whether he should pocket the painkillers he'd just removed from an evidence bag.”
Thanks for sharing @juddmercurio - definitely share the sentiment. It's so important for the stigma of addiction to be lowered as much as possible. Hopefully we can foster more discussion here on Steemit.