SWAT members unload from a truck after arriving at a Greeley home in January 2016 where investigators say multiple people were living and engaging in drug activity.
It should go without saying drugs cause crimes.
The violence and larceny associated with the scourge of addiction are well documented, and it makes sense these sorts of crimes fuel the fears communities have when drugs make their way into their neighborhoods.
However, what’s less obvious is how often drugs lead to crimes not typically associated with them. According to Greeley Police officials, spikes in property crimes like auto and home break-ins as well as thefts, forgeries and identity thefts often are a result of the drug market.
In short, the criminal baggage that comes with drugs can make a long, deep impact that extends well beyond the community of drug users and sellers in direct contact with the drugs themselves.
We like Weld County’s use of drug court.
It’s an alternative to normal criminal court that treats drug addicts with rehabilitation as well as with normal discourse.
However, if the long, criminal reach of drug addiction is a stark reminder of anything, it’s of the importance of recognizing and preventing addiction before it takes hold of a person, or at the very least treating people before they enter the criminal justice system for committing a crime in an attempt to support a drug habit.
Drug use is one of the heaviest burdens we bear as a society. Until we get better at taking preventive measures, at stopping addiction before it starts, we won’t be able to make a serious dent in the ripple of criminal activity that comes along with drugs, including in the rates of local crimes committed against those with seemingly no connection to drugs.
Prevention is the key to ending this vicious criminal cycle.