In a matter of speaking yes. I think it makes little sense to toss drug addicts in jail and saddle them with lifelong stigma and a criminal record to say nothing of what the financial burdens are. I think it exasperates the problem.

I think that we still need to have policy that greatly discourages addiction, including forced interventions into treatment for the addictions at some point for the most extreme cases. For something like, growing a few pot plants in your house, selling a bit of pot to your friend, getting caught with a bag of weed, the penalty should simply be confiscations with no further liabilities or legal action taken. Don't want to stick people with legal records and stigma for the drugs but also don't want to let them keep the drugs.

Granted if the drug addicts are violent and other crimes are committed besides simply having or trading for the drug itself then there needs to be prosecution for that. But nobody having a bad trip should fear arrest for going to the police and asking for help or medical intervention.