I apologize I did misread your statement. You had the right information and I give you credit for that.

Where do you get the statistics that show the drug war has increased the harm done to others by drug users. You said you had no stats from when drugs were legal so you would have nothing to compare todays stats to. Now do you think making it legal will have the opposite effect on this. Do you think less people will be harmed because of drugs. Is that why 40 percent of traffic fatalities are caused by alchohol. That would never happen with any other legal drug. No other drug impairs your ability to function.

I just want to know where you think the benefit of legalizing any drug is. There will still be parts of it that are illegal and just as many arrests because of it. Don't think making it legal does away with the illegal prodution of it. Remember bootlegging is still big buissiness.

Bootlegging is only big business in dry areas.

Legalizing drugs will not solve most of the problems associated with drugs.

Legalization would do some positive things.......

It would allow people to be able to afford drugs without having to resort to crime.

It would stop allowing drug dealers, gangs and drug cartels to make money and thus get rid of much of the drug related violence.(In the beginning of legalization this might make things worse, since drug dealers would need a new source of income and would likely turn to other types of crime, but eventually they would go to prison, or go legit and then crime would LIKELY drop significantly.)

It would stop sending people to prison who have drug problems and turning them into bitter, hardened, career criminals.

It would stop corrupting our police, courts and elected officials, at least through drug money. (I watched 60 minutes do a story 20 some years ago where police officers were selling cocaine out of their squad cars. I can also show you many examples of policemen who have ADMITTED to planting drugs)

It would stop wasting 50 billion a year.

It would cut off funding for many terrorists.

It would allow police the time needed to hunt down REAL CRIMINALS who intentionally HARM OTHERS.

It would get rid of tainted drugs.

It would enable us to look at drugs as a health issue, instead of a criminal issue.

Yes, people would still die. Yes, people will use drugs and harm others, but that is happening now and I simply don't see it getting a lot worse when 1/4 of all kids are offered drugs at school, I just don't see a lot of people running out to buy drugs just because they are legal. They are easy to get now, so what would the real difference be?

Either you want to do drugs, or you do not, their illegality doesn't seem to be discouraging their use very much.

It would be interesting to see how society changed with decriminalized drug use and trafficking. Alas, I don't think it'll happen during our lifetimes.