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During the chapter, it was a little tricky to pick up the main idea because it transitions from one point to another. At the beginning of the chapter it goes on to discuss the aftermath of war and the innovations created, as well to experiments that were put to the test. In my perspective, the main idea of Chapter 15 “Snowfall and Strengthening” is to discuss how prescript drugs helped the community. “In Bottle, there were 207.54 Drug users per hundred thousand people; in Widnes, it was just 15.83 a twelvefold decrease.” Here it is stating how the number of addicts decreased after the drugs were given and not bought. When the drugs are given people lose interest in them. When they were not given people had to go the extra mile to find a way to get them. As it is mentioned in the chapter people use to rob or prostitute themselves to get the money. Drugs were expensive which also caused people to cut the drugs and add calcium powder and sell it. This way was the most uncomfortable of all because not only did the drug have to be cut but a clientele had to also be built. Therefore, they aren’t as interested. Because people are losing interest in the drug the crime rate has also decreased. The reason for this is because before addicts had to get the money someway or somehow to pursue their addiction. Now that the drug has to not be paid for they can carry on to normal lives where they commit no crime but can still carry their addiction.
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In Snowfall and Strengthening, Mr. Hari travels to Great Britain and Switzerland to inquire information on experiments with drug addicts. He travels to Liverpool after he speaks with John Marks, a psychiatrist who led an experiment in prescribing heroin and cocaine to treat drug addiction. The experiment entailed expanding his prescription program on a local scale, and pioneering the prescription of “heroin reefers.” Dr. Mark’s experiments end up being a success, lowering crime rates, HIV transmissions, and death rates. Unfortunately, the Militant Tendency, a conservative group who were governing Liverpool at the time, would later shut down his program. Hari would then find himself traveling to Geneva, Switzerland, where he continues on his research on drug addiction and addicts.
In Geneva he speaks with Ruth Dreifuss, president of Switzerland who promoted drug reform during her presidency. She, like Dr. Marks, also believed that if drugs were assessable to addicts, drug addiction would eventually decline. Her battle for drug reform would eventually cause the opening of heroin clinics throughout Switzerland. The opening of the clinics would immediately drop crime rates and reduce prostitution. According to the chapter, the HIV epidemic among drug users were at 68 percent in 1985, but by 2009, it dropped to 5 percent. After learning about the successes in both countries, Hari returns to the United States to find a better understanding on the history of the prescription crisis.
He learns it all begins with prohibition. The United States’ prescription policy differed the Swiss. Instead of prescribing addicts, doctors were required to stop prescriptions after they detected an addiction amongst their patients. He realizes that addiction doesn’t stem from the chemicals of the drug, but the people who crack down on drugs. -
In the chapter “Snowfall and Strengthening” the author Johann Hari dose not stop to seek informations on experiments with drug addictions. After a year and a half of meeting victims of drug addiction and feeling angry and depressed that no positive experiments were taking place in America about drug addictions. He travels to Great Brittany and Switzerland to seek informations about drugs and addicts.
In Leverpool he meets a doctor called John Marks, whos’ experiment was handing out heroin for free because he believed that if addicts were forced to buy contaminated drugs from armed criminal gangs, their health would only get worst. He wanted to prescribe drugs to chronic addicts which ended up being a success, lowing crime rates, HIV and death rates. Also in Geneva where Johann Hari meets with the president of Switzerland Ruth Dreifuss where they talk about how she promoted the drug reform during her presidency. Knowing that prices were falling and everybody could find drugs in the street without having great effort to do. Her purpose was not to criminalize the drug users but to bring them in to therapy and to help them to protect themselves agents the harms of drugs.
ln the end of the chapter Johann Hari finds a better understanding of victims lives. Exploring different countries drug policy returns backs to the United States realizing that drug is not that causes harmful behavior it is the environment.
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