“pretty soon everybody will be like me.”
Except for one thing: There is no evidence to suggest that if Heroine were to be legalized that everyone would be like your jailed perp. I mean, why would they be?
A daily Heroine user might not make the best employee, but if the Heroine is readily available and inexpensive I doubt the addict would be locked up in jail for anything. Heroine use doesn’t turn normal people dangerous; having to do whatever it takes to get more Heroine is what turns addicts into dangerous people. Same for crack. Just as it would be if caffeine were criminalized.
The War on Drugs is just as responsible for the Heroine addict’s problems as is the Heroine. Without the War on Drugs a severe Heroine addict is just another welfare case that can be managed. With the War on Drugs a Heroine addict is a criminal that has to be caught and incarcerated at the public expense which is more costly than welfare.
