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Chris Christie of New Jersey (R) delivered a passionate and emotional speech about addiction that questions the ethics of of current drug policy rooted in moralism and criminalization.

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Chris Christie's emotional speech about drug addiction

In a video posted a few days ago, Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey (R) delivered a passionate and emotional speech about addiction. businessinsider.com "My mother was a smoker," the 2016 presidential candidate began in the video. "She smoked her whole life. She was addicted to nicotine. "We know the lung cancer was caused by the smoking," Christie said. "But no one came to me and said, 'Hey listen, your mother was dumb. She started smoking when she was 16. Then after we told her it was bad for her, she kept doing it. ... She's getting what she deserves.' No one said that." Christie contrasted that sharply with how the public treats drug addiction. "Somehow, if it's heroin or cocaine or alcohol, we say, 'They decided it. They're getting what they deserved,'" he said. "It's easy to be pro-life for the nine months you're in the womb. They haven't done anything to disappoint us yet. They're perfect in there! But they get out, that's when it gets tough. The 16-year-old teenage girl on the floor of the county lockup, addicted to heroin, I'm pro-life for her too." He added: "The president needs to say those things." Christie, a Republican presidential candidate, went on to describe a friend from law school who struggled with drug addiction. That friend, Christie said, was good-looking and had a great career and family, but his Percocet addiction led to his divorce, bankruptcy, and, ultimately, death. "When I sat there as the governor of New Jersey at his funeral, and looked across the pew at this three daughters, sobbing because their dad is gone — there but before the grace of God go I," he said. "It can happen to anyone. And so we need to start treating people in this country, not jailing them."