SNEK POLICY
Drug Policy: Treat Addiction, Punish Harm
Drug policy should distinguish private adult behavior, addiction, trafficking, impaired conduct, violence, and harm to other people instead of treating every drug-related situation identically.
Prioritize concrete harms
Violent trafficking, coercion, sales to minors, impaired driving, and conduct that harms other people should remain enforcement priorities.
Treatment
People experiencing addiction should have realistic access to treatment and recovery services.
Still unresolved
SNEK has not adopted a complete substance-by-substance legalization framework.
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Why SNEK thinks this
SNEK distinguishes private drug use and addiction from conduct that directly harms other people. Addiction is a health and social problem, while trafficking violence, impaired driving, supplying minors, theft, fraud, and dangerous public conduct remain legitimate targets for criminal law.
How it would work
Policy should put more emphasis on treatment, recovery, mental-health care, and pathways back to employment for people whose principal problem is addiction. Criminal penalties should focus more heavily on violence, coercion, trafficking organizations, dangerous distribution, impaired operation of vehicles or machinery, and crimes committed against others. Public-order rules can address conduct that makes shared spaces unsafe without pretending incarceration by itself cures dependency.
Where we’re flexible or still working it out
SNEK has not adopted one blanket legal status for every substance. Different drugs create different risks, and the platform prefers substance-specific evidence over one ideological rule. Assistance related to addiction should also be case by case, tied to actual capacity to work and willingness to participate in treatment or recovery when appropriate.
Related SNEK policies
Adult Autonomy, Identity and Compelled Participation • A Safety Net That Protects People and Builds Families