I recognize that decriminalizing drugs at this point would cause a huge expansion in the welfare state, and thus further entrench socialism without providing any incremental restoration of liberty. Have you paid attention to the child welfare aspect of meth? Virtually all the growth in recent years in child abuse/neglect cases and accompanying state-funded foster care and medical care (the later often being very expensive due to the exposure to toxic substances in homes where meth is being manufactured), are attributable to the spread of meth use among adults exercising their "liberty". At present, we don't have the legal wherewithal to imprison these adults at hard labor for the rest of their lives, to help make a dent in the costs they have inflicted on society; we don't have the right to sterilize them; and we are obligated to pay for all the medical care they can benefit from because they are eligible for Medicaid due to their "indigence". Meanwhile they are free to continue exercising their "liberty" to use meth while popping out more babies who will be permanently damaged from the start due to mom's meth use during pregnancy, and further damaged from neglect and malnutrition for however long it takes for the authorities to show up and consficate their latest offspring.
And yes, I'd be happy to outlaw alcohol until the welfare state can be dismantled, because it inflicts much the same harm on other people's liberty as illegal drug use does. Personally, I don't drink alcohol at all, and will teach my children that it is utterly self-destructive to drink it. But the main reason I'd support outlawing alcohol pending the dismantling of the welfare state, is that I know that if that could actually be accomplished, the hordes of booze-lovers in this country would make sure the welfare state was dismantled within a week.
"Huge"? Only if the increase in drug use was huge ... and what reason is there to think it would be? Is illegality YOUR primary reason for not using meth? It's way down on my list.
and thus further entrench socialism without providing any incremental restoration of liberty.
The liberty to use drugs, like the liberty to overeat, is a true liberty.
And yes, I'd be happy to outlaw alcohol until the welfare state can be dismantled, because it inflicts much the same harm on other people's liberty as illegal drug use does.
Are you aware that outlawing alcohol was tried in this country? Have you heard how that experiment in social engineering turned out?