[QUOTE=TrIcK;965450]Just to play devils advocate for a bit, but all of the evidence you've given is based on one culture,
how do you know that legalising drugs in other countries will give the same effect?

Also regulation can be ineffective (notably taxation), for instance increased taxation of fuel has
hardly stemmed the use of it (I appreciate the flaw in this argument ), or the increased taxation
of alcohol?
Quote Originally Posted by TrIcK View Post

extremely good point. Singapore has a draconian system for punishing drug users and sellers, and it works because it's a tiny country that is easy to control.
Furthermore, why does anyone care about how many people use drugs? It has little to no impact on my life. The crux of the matter is this:
1) drug offenders (nonviolent felons) being incracerated is bad for the social fabric, ie broken homes and burdens of the state
2) the real problem with drugs is not some guy sitting in a basement smoking pot, it's the cartels that behead neighborhood activists. All the violence associated with drugs is a direct result of the illegality.
3) Spending on police and DEA units has increased threefold in the last 20 years while drug use rates have actually increased slightly. It simply does not justify the costs

I am actually in favour of legalising (some) drugs, just a bit sceptical about how effective it would be.