I'm against legalizing drugs because in countries that have legalized it drug use has gone up. In those countries people reporting the use of cannabis, cocaine, heroin, amphetamines, ecstasy, you name it, it's all gone up. At the same time, there has been an increase in drug-related deaths. In addition to that there has been increased costs associated with treatment and prevention programs, welfare recipients went up as did disability benefits and skyrocketing healthcare costs, these cost have put Portugal in a precarious financial predicament. But Portugal and Netherlands are different from the US, two different cultures, if the US legalized drugs we'll have havoc in the streets, people behind the wheel getting high killing cyclists (I added that in for effect but one of the effects will be cyclists among others like pedestrians and other motorists), mass hysteria, and suicides.
But the question is that if we continue to keep drugs illegal how do we stop the cost of law enforcement who spend a lot of time, and time equals money, to prevent or at least significantly reduce it? By taking the roadblocks out of the way that give all the rights to criminals so busted criminals stay busted and stay busted a lot longer. It seems like America law enforcement goes after the snake's body but leaves the head alone which all that does is still leaves a snake head that can still bite, which tells us two things about law enforcement, some are on the take, and the rest didn't do their due process, which is highly complicated and favors the criminal so they get off on technicalities, and those that do managed to get busted don't spend enough time in prison and some continue their operations from behind bars. I also think to reduce the cost of law enforcement against drugs is not to go after and arrest the user but concentrate on the sellers.
The problem is that what's hiding behind the curtain is once you legalize such things you open a black box that contains other things that are illegal that people will scream that they want legalized which will lead to a debased society.
don't forget, it's just an opinion.