speak for yourself, there are plenty of people who think full and unquestionable legalization is the best way to start addressing addiction in modern society rather than treating it like a literal war.

I am living in a city whose drug strategy is a model for others [0]. You can both help the junkies and prosecute the dealers all without gang shootings on the streets.

[0] http://www.dw.com/en/frankfurt-still-germanys-drug-capital-b...

There is often more than one reasonable approach to a problem.

Portugal did and is seeing benefits.

it didn't, portugal _decriminalized_ possession of drugs, in an amounts reputed for "personal use".

It's still illegal to sell drugs, and if you are caught with a joint you have to face social support, can get various licenses removed, get fined, lose welfare benefits etc.

It's a much better policy than the war on drugs, but it's not legalisation.

>Nobody in their right mind wants to legalize heroin.

What cave do you live in where heroin and other opiate usage isn't already a massive issue, even though it's illegal?

Are you going to start mainlining heroin just because it's legal? I'm not. The point of legalization is to stop throwing addicts in jail.

> The point of legalization is to stop throwing addicts in jail.

What cave do you live in where you have to legalize heroin to do that? Please visit the link I posted before your comment.

You do not have to legalize heroin to supply clean needles, clean rooms and not prosecute junkies. You can do all that, still keep it illegal to sell and hunt down the dealers.

I think it's less about legalization but rather about decriminalizing it. Making these drugs legal could potentially be dangerous as it sends a message that they are safe to use.

But if you get caught buying or possessing drugs for personal use, this shouldn't have any legal consequences. Portugal is one example, but many European countries do this at least for some drugs.