[rhombus]

But then I also had the thought that you know, if you make pot unprofitable then the gangs and drug runners will drop it in favor of drugs that may be more dangerous to deal in, but still turn a profit, like cocaine, and we’ll see a spike in hard drugs and the crime and violence that comes with them. Any thoughts on this hypothesis?

You might see the cops spend more time on chasig these harder drug violations and therefore there appears to be a spike but I don't see any evidence that people will switch to harder drugs just because pot is less prosecuted. That would assume that people are using any drug JUST because those drugs are illegal.

[skintight buffoonery]

I don't see any evidence that people will switch to harder drugs just because pot is less prosecuted. That would assume that people are using any drug JUST because those drugs are illegal. That's an excellent analysis of the absurdity of the whole argument.

[counterpunch]

I’m talking about what dealers are pushing, what runners are running.
People who use drugs will try most anything their supplier has to sell.
These are complex relationships, from top to bottom. Do you think dealers, runners, and gangs will just give up their operations?
Because legalization would create a huge industry that would wipe out the black market. These drug dealers will have to deal a new drug.
The fact that it is illegal is also what makes it profitable.
Legalize it and profits will have to come from volume margin, as marijuana’s value drops. The free market is no place for a thug. Just ask 0bama.

So don’t you think these dealers’ will want to keep their successful black market business model and apply it to a new product, rather than try to compete with Philip Morris?