Offering treatment, not jail, for more drug users is right step

A heroin user is taken into custody by Chicago Police officers in the 3600 block of West Flournoy in 2018. He was offered the chance of going into drug treatment instead of jail. (Frank Main / Sun-Times)

One in seven people in the country will develop a substance use disorder during his or her lifetime.

But 90% of those who suffer from addiction are not getting treatment, a landmark report by U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy revealed in 2016.