I knew Russell Brand was friends with Amy. I was waiting for his words on her death. I am pasting the link to the full piece he wrote. I think everyone has been touched by the tragedy of addiction, be it directly or indirectly. Here is his last paragraph and below that is the link to full piece. One last thing, Russell says it, albeit indirectly, that he is for decriminalization. So am I.
"Whether this tragedy was preventable or not is now irrelevant. It is not preventable today. We have lost a beautiful and talented woman to this disease. Not all addicts have Amy’s incredible talent. Or Kurt’s or Jimi’s or Janis’s, some people just get the affliction. All we can do is adapt the way we view this condition, not as a crime or a romantic affectation but as a disease that will kill. We need to review the way society treats addicts, not as criminals but as sick people in need of care. We need to look at the way our government funds rehabilitation. It is cheaper to rehabilitate an addict than to send them to prison, so criminalisation doesn’t even make economic sense. Not all of us know someone with the incredible talent that Amy had but we all know drunks and junkies and they all need help and the help is out there. All they have to do is pick up the phone and make the call. Or not. Either way, there will be a phone call."
Russell Brand
http://www.russellbrand.tv/2011/07/for-amy/
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