Yours, and dozens of others, talk about "drugs".
That's like talking about banning "food" when there is a problem with people eating five cheeseburgers a day.
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The problem is not with cannabis, or mushrooms, or aspirin. It's with meth, heroin, fentanyl, and prescription opioids.
Drugs need to be *properly* ranked by government and restricted accordingly.
* How easy is it to acutely overdose on a substance?
* How chemically addictive is the substance?
* How damaging is chronic use of the drug over time to the body and mind?
* Is there any medical benefit?
The fact that cannabis is federally ranked as the most controlled level of drug in the US shows we have a broken system.
I support the legalization/decriminalization of many drugs too, but our Congress, the Biden administration and the DEA are too inept or corrupt to make reform a priority.
I'm generally in favor of decriminalization, but I think it's becoming increasingly obvious that the standard arguments for this position fall very flat when it comes to opioids and meth.
It's a shame our leadership is so cowardly and bankrupt in this area. A simple reshuffling of the current drug scheduling could make a huge difference. Knock marijuana down a few pegs (or just accept that the country wants it legal). Take mushrooms off the schedule. Low levels for most psychedelics, mdma, etc. Slightly more control on stimulants like cocaine. Strict controls on opioids and meth.
We've been examining drugs as a culture for long enough that common sense should really have pervaded at this point.
And I think a big part of legalization is an emergent social aspect. Government legalization of marijuana in Canada has meant that my father has actually had real conversations about the drug instead of just treating it as evil. He's now open to using it for treatment of pain or as a means of 'relaxation'. His peers/friends are also in that group. Nothing about the drugs abilities has changed -- just his perception and ability to speak openly in his social circles.
IMO the key is for so-called "hard drugs" to develop the corrective measures. Arrest them, but instead of throwing a simple user in jail adjudicate them into a treatment program. I've watched two people in my life go from "functional" heroin addicts (as in I couldn't outwardly tell) to missing a week of the drug and breaking into homes to steal. It is not possible to "dabble" in hard drugs like one might have a beer on the weekend or a cigar at a bar. It's 0-100. Watch interviews with former heroin addicts. Chasing the dragon starts from the first hit.
Societal danger should modify the way we treat a drug. Most people agree the solution to alcoholism is not to give alcoholics more alcohol. So too, we should not be giving hard drug users more hard drugs. Treat them.
