Actually, according to your comment above, we're talking about "the politicians supporting drug control". Those same politicians support treating drug addiction as a crime, rather than a disease, thereby placing a stigma on addicts who want to get help. Some addicts that go without the help they need due to this unnecessary stigma are the ones that end up contributing to the overdose statistic that you mentioned.

The politicians supporting prohibition are the bad guys, for this and other reasons, such as continuing to waste taxpayer dollars on a failed drug war. The same drug war that feeds the pockets of the drug traffickers. The same drug traffickers that require militarized police forces to fight against. The same militarized police forces that require tax payer dollars to pay for. The same tax payer dollars that could be used to treat addicts and reduce the overdose statistics.

Probably. Many of the low-level dealers make below minimum wage; it would be pretty easy to give them a better options.