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I also believe that other benefits of legalization may not come to pass. Lowering the cost of drugs and less drug related violence likely will not happen.

Taxation and regulation will take care of any cost savings. Drug gangs will move to even greater marketing efforts to youths, since they will never allow minors to shoot up heroin, etc.

I also fear a whole new class of welfare for the poor souls who cannot be allowed to “fall through the net” if they get addicted. There are always unintended consequences.

I really think that until our society gets away from the idea that we must always provide a “safety net” for those who make a mess of their lives (usually continually) - and until we get back to teaching that ACTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES - we will continue our downward spiral.

I don’t think legalizing drugs will get rid of the problem, but I think we need to approach it differently than we are now. It’s illegal NOW and we still have a huge problem with it. I don’t have a solution, but I know that what we are doing now is not working.

Taxation and regulation will take care of any cost savings.

I agree that unwise taxation & regulation would cancel out many benefits. It would simply become "prohibition light".

Do you agree that if marijuana, for example, were taxed and regulated in a similar manner to alcohol, that the violence associated with the marijuana trade would be reduced? Would the cartels have any incentive grow pot in our national forests?

Drug gangs will move to even greater marketing efforts to youths, since they will never allow minors to shoot up heroin, etc.

Kids don't get their alcohol from drug gangs. They get it from older brother or Uncle Ted who got it from the liquor store, which got it from Annheiser-Busch.

Why would the same not be true for marijuana if it were taxed & regulated like alcohol?

I also fear a whole new class of welfare for the poor souls who cannot be allowed to "fall through the net" if they get addicted.

Drugs are cheap and plentiful today, and I understood you to say that the law goes pretty easy on simple users. Anyone who wants to abuse an illegal drug can do so at a reasonable cost and in relative safety. What is your evidence that addiction would increase if drugs were taxed and regulated like alcohol?