Jesus turned the water to wine, so getting “high” is clearly not immoral, at least not for Christians.
The problem is not using drugs, it is SOME people's BEHAVIOR when they are high. Aggressive, disruptive, &/or irrational behavior is unacceptable in public places, stoned or not. I say some people because not all drunks are a public nuisance, just as not all recreational drug users are raving lunatics when they are high.
Criminally prohibiting a substance because it MIGHT harm some people is as dumb as no peanuts on an airline. I wonder how many people violate that prohibition by bringing their own peanuts? Should they be arrested? If someone gets a whiff of your nuts & dies, is that your fault?
You mentioned our methods of dealing with drug ABUSERS during the 50s. I agree with you, it was a better way. Public ridicule & ostracizing worked far better then than our current system does now. But think about it. Not all drug abusers were shunned, but only those who were disruptive. The rich old ladies getting snockered every week at the bridge party weren't disruptive, so nobody shunned them. The wounded war veteran down the street wasn't bothering anyone, yet he took narcotics every day. Nobody wanted to kick in his door.
The drug war is misplaced. The problem is behavior. What threatens you more: A group of stoners eating a pizza & watching a movie; a coke party with people laughing, talking, & dancing in a private home; or a sober bunch of terrorists building a bomb in their garage? Whose door needs to be kicked in?
Now, if those stoners or snorters or chuggers get in the car & go reeling down the road, or beat their wife or girlfriend, then that is a matter for the police. But it is their individual behavior that is the problem. They have failed in their PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY as a human & a citizen.
If an individual cannot control himself or his addiction, then he/she has a health problem, likely mental. Putting them in jail will NOT cure the problem. I would venture to say that if all the money spent on the WOD had been spent on mental health & teaching kids personal responsibility, this country would be a far better place to live, & safer, too.
If all illicit drugs were completely legal for sale to ADULTS, the following would happen: The drug gangs would collapse, their wars would stop. The police would be forced to address the real crimes in America: murder, rape, theft, terrorism, etc. People with drug addiction/behavior problems would feel safe in seeking help, rather than hiding from police. Since the price of street drugs is ridiculously high relative to their cost, the price drop will eradicate addiction motivated property theft. The relationship between police & the public would greatly improve. Perhaps like it was in the 50s, when the policeman was your friend & ally. And contrary to what the drug warriors would have us believe, sensible people are not gonna become junkies just because it is legal to do so. Would you become a junkie if you could? After all, every American could be an alcoholic legally, if they wanted to, but that is not happening, & hasn't happened in thousands of years.
There is not much I can do if my neighbor is determined to kill himself or ruin his life. If he wants to drink himself to death, snort coke until his heart stops, or jump out of an airplane with a chute he badly packed himself, that is his business, not mine. It is impossible to protect a person from himself, short of complete immobilization. Gov’t is for the protection of the public in general, & cannot effectively protect the individual, especially from himself.