The New Jersey governor described his mother’s nicotine addiction to show disparities in judgments about hard drug users and cigarette smokers

New Jersey’s Governor Chris Christie questioned why we treat drug addicts differently from cigarette smokers during an impassioned and personal speech on the campaign trail in New Hampshire.



Video of his remarks in Belmont, New Hampshire, posted by the Huffington Post, that shows Christie calling for drug treatment rather than jail has resonated on social media, and the footage has already garnered more than 3m views.

“Every life is an individual gift from God,” the Republican presidential candidate said. “We have to stop judging and start giving them the tools they need to get better.”

While at Shooter’s Tavern in Belmont, Christie spoke about his mother’s addiction to nicotine. She smoked her entire life despite trying to quit numerous times. When it was discovered that she had lung cancer, Christie said, the disparity between how she was treated and those addicted to hard drugs were treated was obvious.

“If it’s heroin or cocaine or alcohol, we say: ‘Oh, they decided, they’re getting what they deserved,’” Christie said. “I’m pro-life, and I think that if you’re pro-life that means you have to be pro-life for the whole life, not just the nine months they’re in the womb. It’s easy to be pro-life for the nine months they’re in the womb. They haven’t done anything to disappoint us yet.”

Christie also spoke about a friend from law school, who “had everything” before injuring his back and becoming addicted to painkillers. He spent 10 years in and out of rehab. After losing his job, his home, his wife, his right to see his daughters and all of his savings, he was found dead “with an empty bottle of Percocet and an empty quart of vodka”.

“By every measure that we define success in this country, this guy had it,” Christie said. “It can happen to anyone. So we need to start treating people in this country, not jailing them.”