Couldn't agree more. Then again, I research drug policy and addiction and have very strong convictions on this matter, so I'm admittedly biased (albeit all my views are fact/evidence-based). I could go on for pages about those biases though, so I'll spare you

edit - Screw it, I will add in one of the reasons/thoughts: currently, our prison population (which is by far the highest in the world, per capita) is comprised of over 50% inmates there for non-violent drug offenses. This prison population has risen roughly 800% since the inception of the war on drugs in the 70s. Add in that we now have a booming private prison industry -- by definition, prisoners are their merchandise or profit-margin. This creates a serious conflict of interest that incentivizes crime, and leads to things like lobbying for more laws, specifically, the criminalization of drug addicts (despite knowing that treatment and harm-reduction strategies are more effective, and less costly; many make the mistake of framing the argument as a moral one, like "they are sick people that need help, not criminals that need to be reprimanded," -- I agree with that, but don't think it's the strongest reason to argue for reformation of our drug laws)

Couldn't agree more. Then again, I research drug policy and addiction and have very strong convictions on this matter, so I'm admittedly biased (albeit all my views are fact/evidence-based). I could go on for pages about those biases though, so I'll spare you