Automatic rehab for arrested drug dependents sought

MANILA, Philippines - An administration lawmaker sought yesterday the automatic rehabilitation of arrested persons found to be drug dependents to strengthen the campaign against illegal narcotics.

ACT-CIS party-list Rep. Samuel Pagdilao Jr. pushed for the swift passage of House Bill 4451, which seeks to mandate automatic rehabilitation and treatment of arrested persons found to be drug dependents.

Pagdilao described his proposal as a paradigm shift in government’s strategy against illegal drug abuse as it will provide easy access to rehabilitation of illegal drug users.

“It is about time for government to consider alternative perspective in viewing illegal drugs as a problem that can be solved through treatment and prevention rather than merely using the measures provided in the criminal justice system,” he said.

Under the bill, any person who admits that he is a drug user following his arrest will be automatically sent to a rehabilitation center for a minimum period of six months.

The cost of rehabilitation and treatment will be shouldered by the suspect.

Pagdilao said there are two dominant views on drug addiction and how it should be handled. The first is that drug addiction is like any other disease and should be addressed through treatment and prevention.

The second is that drug use is a crime and should be dealt with through the array of threats and sanctions available through the criminal justice system.

The lawmaker said it is clear that the latter approach has dominated the way government handles illegal drugs problem.

“But it does not effectively stop the problem against drug abuse because it does not cure the underlying cause of drug addiction,” he said.

“As a result, crimes involving illegal drugs continue to rise. Likewise, drug dependent offenders have increasingly populated jails and prison facilities,” Pagdilao added.