All to often a drug addiction can push people to absolute the extremes, and in an all too common case, an addict can be pushed to crime to fuel their addiction. The Narconon Trois-Rivieres drug rehabilitation program has been seeing many cases of both functioning addicts and addicts who have lost it all, tied up with the law in some way. “What we are seeing are many drug users being charged with crimes such as, possession, trafficking, fraud, and theft,” comments Nick Hayes, a representative of Narconon Trois-Rivieres. “When things like this happen, it can make getting these people into treatment more difficult, due to the fact they are on house arrest, probation, or even being sentenced to jail.”
For an extreme example, just last month in Edmonton, Alberta, a 41-year-old man committed armed robbery within six different banks to fuel his own crack cocaine addiction. The judge subsequently handed him a 12-year jail sentence for his actions. This of course is of an extreme nature, but nevertheless small and big crimes do take place by some very desperate drug users across Canada. "It is unfortunate to see drug users make the choice to resort to crime to support their habits, and these desperate acts affect the user and society," says Hayes.
For many repeat offenders of drug related crimes, drug rehab can become somewhat out of reach. Because of the many opportunities the drug user may have had, a judge will typically stiffen the punishment each and every time they appear in court. Drug Treatment Courts play a major role in helping these individuals to be court ordered to attend specific treatment options based on their history. However, some make it through and others return right back to a life of crime, starting right at the beginning again.
For more information, please visit the Narconon Trois-Rivieres website at http://narconon.ca/
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