Withdrawal from opioid dependency is a miserable experience but it's rarely dangerous, as I understand it [1]. When authorities catch a suspected-to-be opioid addict breaking into a car, shoplifting, or menacing pedestrians it should be a deterrent to lock them up for a short period (a couple of weeks) away from drug sources, because they're not going to want to repeat the withdrawal experience. Having effectively enforced modest penalties works better than having harsh penalties, because harsh but infrequent penalization leads many offenders to assume (rightly, unfortunately) that they're unlikely to face consequences of any sort.
[1] For example, naloxone (Narcan) administration is basically an abrupt chemically induced withdrawal from opioids.
That's a good point. If there is some mechanism to keep them for two weeks. I'm not sure how that works. Another advantage is that it gives them a chance to reevaluate things once sober.
[1] For example, naloxone (Narcan) administration is basically an abrupt chemically induced withdrawal from opioids.