HB 6698, An Act Concerning Drug Policy, Substance Abuse and Peer Support Services and Mandatory Minimum Sentences for Certain Drug-Related Crimes

Today, there is widespread recognition that disordered substance use is an illness to be treated and not a criminal problem to be punished. However, CT and the rest of the U.S. insist on addressing addiction, a public health problem, through criminal law for decades.

The ACLU-CT is dedicated to ending mass incarceration. Today, there is widespread recognition that disordered substance use is, fundamentally, an illness to be treated and not a criminal problem to be punished. In fact, drug addiction is classified as a disability protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Despite this, Connecticut and the rest of the U.S. have insisted on addressing the public health problem of people struggling with addiction through criminal law for decades. This decision is inappropriate, ineffective, a major driver of civil liberties violations, and a massive contributor to mass incarceration.