[chinese_donald]

"course exacerbated by the fact that using them turns you into a criminal."

If you mean just using and nothing more, it's not really true. Junkies don't get arrested for only getting high. It usually involves some other crime like robbery or petty theft.

Legalizing these drugs won't really solve the issue. Opiates are already legal, but expensive. Most addicts start out with the expensive prescriptions and then end up getting street drugs like heroin because it's so much cheaper. Street drugs will always be there because people the government always needs their cut through taxes.

"I do know that treatment instead of jail is a good thing."

..but to what end? If a person chooses over and over to take drugs, It's their freedom to take them, but also their responsibility to figure out a treatment plan.

I'm really tired of people demanding they can do what they want with their body and then demanding that I pay money to fix all of the negative consequences that comes along with it.

[flukus]

> I'm really tired of people demanding they can do what they want with their body and then demanding that I pay money to fix all of the negative consequences that comes along with it.

But your happy to pay for jail or did you have something else in mind?

Your're also ignoring a huge amount of people that take those drugs but don't end up being junkies.

[EpicEng]

Having been arrested for possession on more than one occasion, no, that is total crap.

As for the rest of your comment; yeah, it sucks, but that's the price you pay to be a part of a civilization. We all benefit from a healthy and happy population, so don't pretend like helping those at the bottom doesn't also benefit you.