This is an issue to which I have given a great deal of thought and have had a complete change of heart and mind upon. As a conservative Christian, my position was predictably anti-drug and I was an advocate of the war on drugs. But, I was convinced by compelling arguments from a libertarian friend to change my mind and I have only grown stronger in my demands that we TOTALLY legalize ALL drugs. This is not a half-measure sort of issue. We must legalize them all, in order to see the full success of the idea.
First, let me say that my work as a bail bondsman has convinced me even more strongly of this: Making them illegal makes them PROFITABLE. And where there is money to be made, someone will make it. I have seen this corrupt young people, cops, lawyers, judges, and anyone else you can think of, right down to supposed preachers of the gospel. And there is only one way to take the money out of it. It is to make it legal. This will generate competition, drive prices down, and remove the very idea of the "pusher." And I say this in full knowledge that my personal living will be severely damaged by ending the drug war. But, again, I believe it is morally the right thing to do.
Second, yes, I realize that a cheap supply of drugs will bring death to some. But, these people are dying anyway. They are dying more slowly, stealing, starving themselves, and prostituting themselves to feed the pushers. And when they have cheap and easy access to drugs at least some addicts will overdose. But, those same addicts will no longer be thieves and murderers and prostitutes. They will stop having unwanted children. Their children will, in fact, have a better chance at a decent life, because their drug-addled parents have killed themselves with a drug-overdose.
I know how cruel that must sound, to people who do not witness the daily suffering of the current system. But, what happens now is even more cruel. It involves innocent people who have not chosen to sell their bodies. It involves innocent people who get robbed and sometimes killed to feed the drug habit, which merely enriches the drug pusher. There are millions of dollars of damage being done to the power lines and air conditioners just in my home county, but drug addicts stealing copper to sell for scrap so they can feed their habit. And every so often one of the addicts makes a mistake and electrocutes himself.
We have not even touched the tax consequences. I will still say it is stupid to use illicit drugs. But, I want people to be free to be stupid.
And the other, more positive side, is that some drugs are controlled that should not be. I cannot self-medicate because the law says I cannot. So, although i have two diseases that require the same medication every day for the rest of my life, I must go back to the doctor every six months, and pay him to tell me what I already know, so I can get a prescription and have what I already know I need. Tell me that total legalization is not a good idea. If you can. I am convinced that this must be done and I would strongly advocate for it in any society.
I am unconcerned with the perception. The reality is what is important.