WHEREAS, heroin addiction is spreading rapidly today, especially among the younger generation and the poor; and
WHEREAS, the effort to control heroin addiction by outlawry and strict law enforcement has not reduced heroin addiction, but, by making it extremely profitable, has increased it many times; and
WHEREAS, this has led to a disastrous breakdown and corruption of our entire law enforcement and judicial process and to a vast increase in street violence and crime, jeopardizing the future existence of our metropolitan cities themselves;
BE IT RESOLVED: That the 1973 General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association urges the governments of the United States and Canada:
- To give first priority to stopping the traffic in heroin and other addictive drugs at the source, rather than emphasizing the prosecution of drug users;
- To give priority research into the underlying causes and possible cure of addiction to heroin and other addictive drugs in common use;
- To place a major emphasis upon eliminating the social conditions like poverty, unemployment, and racial discrimination which may feed addiction;
- To establish in every metropolitan area government-owned and operated clinics where addicts may register and receive free voluntary treatment with a wide range of services aimed at eliminating the addiction, including counseling, therapy, therapeutic communities, referral services, methadone maintenance, or where necessary, heroin maintenance, all under medical supervision; and
- To mount appropriate international efforts to restrict the flow of addictive drugs at their source.