yggdrasill wrote: Your premise is wrong.
First, we're talking about decriminalizing small quantities not legalization. So drugs won't become more easily accessible because of this. They will remain illegal substances. They will simply be punished by fines and community service time instead of jail. So this will not make it any easier for young people to buy drugs.
Second, not everyone who uses drugs becomes an addict just like not everyone who drinks a beer becomes an alcoholic. Depending on the drug, addiction rates are sometimes no higher than alcohol. So incarcerating these "casual" users is more likely to turn their life towards crime than to set them straight. Decriminalizing small quantities is more effective in turning these people away from addiction without making drugs more accessible.
Third, current addicts are not all write offs. There are plenty of sober drug addicts to prove it. So while we do want to make it difficult to purchase really addictive drugs like cocaine and heroin, we want to make sure we turn the justice system towards the proper targets: dealers. Decriminalizing small quantity possession helps do that.
Decriminalization has proven to reduce drug crime, violent crime, drug abuse, and drug deaths, which are all the goals of the war on drugs, all while costing less money to taxpayers. There is nothing more win-win than that.
winterishere wrote: It is insanity! The current addicts are basically write offs. The goal is stop young people from becoming addicts and legitamizing drug use along with free drugs just makes it easier for our youth to become addicts. It is nothing but a feel good exercise for liberals who want to build their resumes.