[LyndsySimon]

For what it's worth, I think you're at least mostly correct - I would also expect legalization to lead to increased usage, at least in the short term. I'm just the type of person who challenges those sorts of expectations, including when I'm the one holding them.

Along with wondering if "legalization leads to increased rate of usage" holds true, I also wonder if the following is true:

> legalizing drugs also means easier access

Criminality is a "barrier to entry", surely, but I'm not at all sure that ease of access changes because of it. In Arkansas, where I live, cannabis is illegal. Even though I don't consume it (the risk isn't worth the benefit to me), I'm extremely confident I could make a couple of phone calls and have some delivered to me if I wanted to. That's really no different from my experience in the LA area.

In fact, it might actually be more difficult to obtain it in LA through legal means. Generally you have to seek out a dispensary (physically, or via phone/app) and provide identification. I wouldn't need ID to get it illegally in Arkansas. If an ID requirement has a negative participation impact on other things (like voting) then I would expect that to hold true for this as well.