Actually, all available evidence points to the fact that legalising drugs like heroin actually decreases their usage. Would you suddenly take up heroin if it was legal? Do you know anyone who would?
If marijuana were legal I might use it. Conversely, I don't think I know anyone who uses marijuana/heroin but would stop using it if it were legal.
I haven't seen the evidence either way; I just made the point in my original post as something to consider.
I /think/ the argument for legalisation lowering heroin use is that if it were legal, certain unscrupulous people would not be pushing it on fragile members of society, and getting them hooked for financial gain. If an addicted prostitute or other user could walk away from a pusher and life of crime and get the heroin on prescription (with an eye to coming off it in the long term), then the thought is that use and dealing would go down. (Why don't users now just go an get methadone/other substitute - I've read that is because they are pretty awful replacements).
I /think/ the argument for legalisation lowering heroin use is that if it were legal, certain unscrupulous people would not be pushing it on fragile members of society, and getting them hooked for financial gain.
Replace "heroin" with "cigarettes" and you have a one-sentence description of tobacco companies. Legalizing it won't get rid of pushing, so long as pushing is financially beneficial for the pusher.
Yes - if cigarettes were available on prescription, it would massively harm the abilities of cigarette companies to market and advertise (since profits would be hit rather hard!) which in turn would cut out a whole new tranche of smokers.
Come on, making heroin "as legal as" tobacco is a straw man. Even the Netherlands, well-known for their liberal drug policy, have rather severe restrictions even on marijuana use.
If marijuana were legal I might use it. Conversely, I don't think I know anyone who uses marijuana/heroin but would stop using it if it were legal.
I haven't seen the evidence either way; I just made the point in my original post as something to consider.