Parallel process: moral failure, addiction and society.

Recent legislation restricting disability and other financial benefits for persons with substance related disorders provides the latest chapter in this country's relationship with mind altering chemicals and its attempts to control their use. Whether seen from the perspective of a substance user or from that of an angry and insecure public, this relationship seems to lead inevitably to self-destructive processes. This paper will examine the historical context of drug control policy in this country and the impact of current policy on vulnerable populations and on society as a whole. Parallels between factors which drive addictive disorders and those that perpetuate ineffective public policy will be considered along with their moral implications.