benm  Right,   Life is not always easy and we all make choices in our lives that often requires making sacrifices .  These people  chose to take drugs,  gradually building up until they became addicts.  They were not afflicted by a disease such as cancer, etc. .. Why can't we put the blame where it belongs. Nothing to do with religious morality that I have none, just a plain statement of fact. If they have become scum,  as you call them,  it is entirely of their  own making .