Decriminalize... now then, how do you propose that drugs make there way to consumers hands (to consume) in a reputable manner - wherein the users are not at risk for drugs that are laced with other chemicals?
That's just one example - but the list goes on on and on and on and on - you can get down to the nitty gritty of the additional fact that buying the drugs illegally contributes to crime instead of employment of reasonable people... to deny these additional facts is just pulling your head further into your anus.... As if you haven't done that enough already.
That is why it should be legalized and not just decriminalized. Ther pharmaceutical companies would be tripping over their dicks to get in on selling heroin and coke to US users. With that said, all of the stuff you brought up is already occurring and locking people up for using drugs or possessing small amounts doesn't help anyone including society. As a matter of fact it hurts just about everyone involved including society and the taxpayers which means it's fucking stupid to keep doing it.
To use your phrase, getting down to the nitty grit of the
fact that the war on drugs has not only failed it has failed spectacularly. Drugs are cheaper than they were before it started, in a lot of cases they are stronger, more people are using them, we now have the distinguished title of being #1 in incarcerations with almost
25% of the worlds prisoners, millions upon millions more on some form of probation/parole, beyond the initial cost of incarceration to the taxpayers these non-violent offenders are now felons and their future employment options are severely dimenished hurting both the person and society in the long run, deaths from overdoses reached "epidemic" levels long ago and increased 30% last year alone, said overdoses and the vastly increased number of people shooting up heroin was predicted by medical professionals and law enforcement as a direct result of the War on Drugs going after the prescription opiod "epidemic" so now instead of people taking very precise dosages of pharmaceutical drugs they are injecting street drugs of completely unknown strength from batch to batch BUT the abuse of drugs like Oxy are way down (umm, good job War on Drugs?)
I could go on if you'd like but yeah getting down to the nitty gritty it looks like the status quo is not only not helping but it is hurting. When you find out that something you are doing is actually hurting and having the opposite effect than what is desired what do you suppose the first thing you should do is? STOP FUCKING DOING IT
One very simple change of ending the practice of charging people with crimes and locking them up for using/possessing drugs and taking even a portion of the savings to taxpayers and investing that into treatment programs would not only save the taxpayers a bunch of money right now but also a metric ton in the future. It would also have nice side effects like fewer people using, fewer people dying, a reduced strain on our ERs (and you don't think the guy ODing has insurance do you?) a vast amount of police and justice department resources freed up for violent/property criminals, would be better for families, fewer people financially fucked, fewer people in jail, jails that aren't 30-50% over capacity leading to even further inhumane conditions, and a bunch I can't think of at the moment.
So, reasons for keeping the status quo?