[DanBC]

> but used hypodermic needles laying on the ground is another issue entirely

The criminal justice response to this has clearly failed. How about treating this as the public health problem it is? Give addicts access to clean needles, safe injecting spaces, and needle disposal and you'll get rid of most of the problems of irresponsibly dangerously disposed of needles.

[gurkendoktor]

Smokers already have all that and still can't be arsed not to litter public spaces/nature with cigarette butts.

[Freak_NL]

It takes time to move from a society where smoking was the norm to one where smoking is a private vice enjoyed by few. The general trend is towards smoke-free public spaces, but no matter how you approach the problem, some smokers will feel ostracised and act mulish and defensive, while some people are simply incorrigible. But demographically taken, they are a dying breed, and will (if the current trend in many modern countries continues) simply vanish in a generation or two.

Personally, the amount of cigarette buts littered seems to have decreased in the past decades, simply because fewer people smoke, and those who do smoke often use designated smoking areas.

It takes time, and with drugs it will take time as well.