But then when is it alright to protect oneself and fight back? Be it through the law or accommodations or whatever. I get that drug addiction is a disease, and I believe we should have avenues for people to get real, medical help.

On the other hand, I've been robbed and threatened by heroin addicts living with me. I've had complete strangers OD in my apartment and then have my apartment sifted through by police and paramedics. I've had people literally break into my house to get at my roommate's stash and then not leave for days when he was in prison. Complete strangers! At that point, I do not care if they want help. I do not care what they are struggling with. My leniency with drug addiction stops the instant someone innocent is victimized. You steal or threaten/inflict harm, you deserve to be treated like a criminal, I don't give a flying fuck what the excuse is.

This isn't about wanting to take retribution for someone using a substance. It is about protecting the rest of us from their actions. Before the drug my step-brother was a wonderful human being. Kind, funny, extremely intelligent. Afterward, he has stolen tens of thousands of dollars from his only bio brother, lied to his father (my step-father, whom I am close with) about having a child, getting married and having cancer just to swindle him out of money for drugs. He has threatened by other step-brother (his bio brother) with violence for not catering to his demands to put him up and take care of him. Now he sits in a jail cell for robbery with a deadly weapon.

Given, this is merely my experience. But every single person I have ever spoken to who has experience with heroin addicts is this is the rule rather than the exception. I think we could curb those crime rates by handling it differently like providing medical care instead of punishment. But there has to be a line. There has to be a line drawn in the sand that says "if you cross this line, you go straight to jail".