Are Drug Addicts to Blame for Louisiana Looting?

Speaking of Katrina, Nikos A. Leverenz at D'Alliance has an eloquent post on an angle of this tragedy I hadn't seen yet. It appears the politicians are blaming drug addicts for the violence. Nikos has some wise words in reply.

Chalk up another victory for prohibition, which exacerbates addiction and violence. I have no idea whether Louisiana's drug policy is public health oriented and seeks to reduce the personal harms of drug use, but I would venture to guess that it's not very good.

These are the some of principal questions Ms. Blanco and Mr. Nagin should consider: What is the best way to respond to persons suffering from withdrawal in this climate, and how does that fit into the larger relief effort? How best to devote resources toward assessing and treating abusers and addicts alongside others with physical and psychological maladies?

And another example of DEA madness in the war on doctors.

Two nights ago, I saw footage of a Mississippi pharmacist who tore through the rubble of his store to retrieve a safe containing his pharmaceuticals. Why? Because DEA regulations dictate such. Apparently, "acts of God" do not suspend the enforcement of the Controlled Substances Act in disaster areas.

Should we all take some sort of macabre comfort that drugs are safe and secure, even as human beings suffer and perish -- including those "evil" substance abusers and those poor law-abiding folks left in the lurch without their prescription medication?

Indeed. Wouldn't it have served the public better, if he had been manning some kind of public dispensary during the crisis?