Dislocation Theory of Addiction
The Roots of Addiction in Free Market Society
The City of Vancouver is promoting a major new initiative on drug addiction based on the “four pillars” of treatment, prevention, law enforcement, and harm reduction. This balanced and compassionate initiative warrants public support. Unfortunately, it does not warrant optimism. A century of intense effort has shown that no matter how well different approaches are coordinated, society cannot “prevent,” “treat,” or “harm reduce” its way out of addiction any more than it can “police” its way out of it.