If the US ends the drug war, which I do believe will happen eventually, then there will be a big increase in the number of treatment centers, and the health aspect of treating addiction will probably receive some of the government funding now going to police, jails, etc. So when we talk about why and how the drug war should end, it's all important to discuss the topic of the impacts that it might have on society, and the solutions that might work at preventing or treating some of the side effects of free access to strong intoxicants. I don't really believe the studies about people saying they won't use illegal drugs if they were made legal. When corporations are allowed to sell these products, it will be in their financial interest in expanding their customer base, which involves heavy marketing. If cocaine and heroin is produced by professionals and companies, then they will probably be much safer to use, and the dosage much easier to predict and overdoses less likely, which is a good thing. But making illegal drugs safer, and easier to access, and acceptable in society will mean that more people use them. To ignore this is to ignore human nature. Will employers still drug test or will that become illegal and an invasion of privacy? What age will someone be able to buy cocaine from the corner store? How many OxyContins would a person be allowed to buy everyday?
With the end of the drug war, will come a boon in the treatment industry, and it will probably be government funded. I do believe the treatment industry is much more effective in dealing with these problems than the justice system, for obvious reasons. But if people here are so anti-treatment and anti-AA, I am curious what they propose to do with the many new people who become addicted to the very addictive drugs listed in this list we all voted on. There will be many unintended side effects that must be dealt with, and failing to address them will mean the continuation of the drug war because people will be afraid of these effects if there is not a rational solution to offer as an alternative to the existing system.