People who claim legalizing drugs will create new drug addicts who would have never tried them if they were illegal are making the hilariously ignorant claim that people only do the right thing with their lives because the government tells them to.
Legal or not, the amount of people who want to ruin their lives or slowly kill themselves will remain pretty much the same, and you don't need illegal drugs for either of those.
Legalize them all and help nature take its course.
He'd still be stealing things and thrown into jail for burglary instead of possession.
I know folks like that, too. They have enough self-discipline to abstain even though the stuff is available and their chances of getting caught, realistically, are low.I know several people right now who do not smoke pot or take drugs simply because of it's illegality.
Which is another thing- people say drugs need to be illegal because they make people do bad things. Well, anything that is truly malum en se is already covered by other laws. In other words- any bad things a drug addict can do to other people are already illegal. Yet another reason why simple possession laws are pointless (except to extend the power and control of the government).
I know guys who are still long-time addicts. I know guys who were and got clean. The legal status of their chosen poison has nothing to do with their decision to start using, continue to use, or quit drugs.
I know several people right now who do not smoke pot or take drugs simply because of it's illegality.
I also get that people who take drugs were not affected by the law.
And there are plenty of people who try drugs just to be a rebel.