Quote:
I think society at large has a responsibility not only to punish and rehabilitate those that commit crimes, but prevent people from commiting them in the first place.


Aside from the philosophical arguments against this, it should be obvious from history and observation that this just plain doesn't work. Those who will break laws to support their "addiciton" will break laws to engage in it. The War on Drugs shows the absolute futility of this line of thinking. Other examples abound.

Even if it *did* work, one would need to show causality to make a sound argument for such tactics. Part of the reason that drug addicts engage in crimial activity is that using those drugs is itself a criminal activity. Abolish the war on drugs, and watch the crime you are referring to drop to nothing, just like it did after the repeal of alcohol prohibition.