[mattmaroon]

I get that but now what? We give them all criminal records (or more things on it) and they’ll be back on the streets? Or are we jailing them?

I’m sure it’s real, but is the problem that the drug use isn’t illegal? How does making it a crime again help?

[normalaccess]

The only real solution is to discourage drug use in the first place. Early education is the best deterrent but with our modern pluralistic society you can't even get people to agree on what is "good" or "bad." Not only that but these chemicals are extremely physically addictive and cause a derangement in higher executive brain functions. Often the most effective repellent is a threat of negative outcome for the targeted action. Impulse control (internal or external) is the only thing that really separates us from the rest of the animal kingdom.

Unfortunately, if the new laws are enforced there will be a "correction" that takes place and I imagine that will include fines, arrests, and jail.

[mattmaroon]

Well, we just got a great natural experiment to see if it works that way. I don’t think so but I’ll be happy to be proven wrong. I think it’ll just move where they use. If the effects of heroin on your life aren’t a strong enough deterrent I Don’t think a rap sheet is. I don’t know why we default assume otherwise and perhaps I’m missing data that shows it but I haven’t seen any.