[Ken H]

And just to make sure I understand you what you are saying...we have a serious drug problem in this country...and if make drugs legal and cheaper...we'll have fewer addicts. Is that truly your argument?

That is not my argument. I only showed a correlation, not necessarily a causal relation.

I'm arguing that a hundred years of drug prohibition cannot be shown to have lowered addiction rates in the US.

[GLDNGUN]

I'm arguing that a hundred years of drug prohibition cannot be shown to have lowered addiction rates in the US.

Likewise, it can be argued that drug prohibition has kept addiction rates lower than what they would have been if they had been legal for the past 100 years. Tobacco and alcohol consumption have never been illegal. Their "addiction" rates are extremely high in comparison. I see a connection. Do you?

[death2tyrants]

I'm arguing that a hundred years of drug prohibition cannot be shown to have lowered addiction rates in the US.

This is false. According to the DOJ, Overall drug use in the United States is down by more than a third since the late 1970s. That’s 9.5 million people fewer using illegal drugs. We’ve reduced cocaine use by an astounding 70% during the last 15 years. That’s 4.1 million fewer people using cocaine.