[shkkmo]

I don't believe that drug addicts face any real difficulty obtaining their drugs; they do face hazards to their safety and economic security.

The risk of legalization isn't so much ease of access as it is the normalization of drug abuse. We have shown with cigarette usage that education, propaganda and marketing laws can de-normalize drug use.

If anything, by making high risk drugs safely available through official venues, you can provide social services better access to those who need help.

I would say that you would likely see an initial increase in users but that a well run program would lead to both a overall decrease in users and more importantly a reduction of average harm per user.