Quote Originally Posted by gRomoZeka View Post
Hmm, why do you think that the number of drug addicts will go down if drugs are legalized???
Current addicts were drawn into it not because it's criminalized, but despite of it. And they are using despite it been risky for their freedom and health and despite it costing a fortune. Addicts are using because it gives them a rush or a temporal "way out" of their problems

So what will happen when more safer (cleaner) and cheaper drugs will be available LEGALLY? I think more people will be willing to try them (those who were scared off by legal repercussions and other risks before).

What will bring the number of addicts down is drugs like "crocodile". Current users will die fast, and those with an ounce of common sense will shy away from it eventually. The fact that it's very cheap and affordable is good too. Less theft and robbery all around.
Crocodile sounds a bit like Crack... I don't know what came of that but there were lots of stories about crack in the the 1990s. I think it was quite common in the US. Super dangerous and extremely addictive too.

The idea with "harm reduction" is that if addicts get substitute drugs that remove the abstinence, for free, then they can actually live relatively normal lives. They could have a job and they do not have to be criminals.
The idea is that this is cheaper for society.

So in Holland and some other places, those that are "verified" heroinists can get methadon for free.
They don't get high from that, but they don't get any abstince while they take it.

I think they even gave heroin to some people with the understanding that it was cheaper for the state to provide that person with heroin than take care of all the damage the person was creating in society while living a criminal life and ruining the their health.

The fact that you can live a "normal" life while being on drugs is proved in the City of London (financial quarters). Many of the people in the really stressful financial jobs are cocaine addicts. On their incomes, they can afford it so they do not need to turn to criminality to pay for the drugs. They go for years without anyone noticing. There are stories about such people in the papers occassionally.

Heroin is really very cheap - the reason why it is expensive is because of the risks involved for all the people handling it in the logistic chain and the production chain".
If it's legal, then the price would go down to a fraction of what it is now.
Then the addicts don't have to turn to crime to pay for their addiction.