Heroin should be legalized. What I put in my body is my business.

Until you are breaking into somebody's house to get money to fund the addiction. Unfortunately, heroin is so addictive and so quick to build tolerance, that this is a very possible scenario.

The ideal scenario involves legalizing much more research about the drug so we could find a way to "have our cake and eat it, too." I imagine there are some smart scientists who could find a way to create a non-addictive heroin-like substance. As an example, just adding a small bit of naltrexone (an opioid antagonist) to opioids seems to reduce the build up of tolerance. I can't find the company who is doing clinical trials on a drug combining the two right now, but you can see [1] for an overview of combining an antagonist with an opioid.

[1] http://pain-topics.org/pdf/OpioidAntagonistsForPain.pdf

Addiction and dependency are separate issue when dealing with drugs. I am physically dependent on opiates. When I was a child I was hit by a truck and bashed up pretty good. It pretty much ruined my neck. Anyway, in the absence of my medication I don't jump to the I need to commit a crime to get it nor would I. Addiction is a psychological phenomenon in which the user becomes consumed with the drug and will do anything to get it, it is a compulsive disorder and has nothing to do with the actual drug. If Alcohol where illegal an therefore prohibitively expensive you would see the same behavior among addictive personnel with Alcohol. Just because someone is physically dependent whether an abuser or not does not mean that they exhibit addictive personality traits.

I don't know about the legalization of Heroin, crack and Crystal Meth, I don't know enough about them to form a factual based opinion on their legalization, but I do believe without a doubt that Opium, Marijuana and Coca should be legalized immediately. The possession of a plant being illegal is ridiculous and the fear mongering around these weaker formed was unfounded in the first place.

But then the trouble is that you broke into someone's house, not that you were on heroin.

I think it'd be reasonable to make the penalty for crimes committed under the influence to be equivalent to conciously choosing to commit the crime. This seems to solve that issue to me.

I've known several heroin users and not one ever committed a crime to support their habit. As others have pointed out, penalize people for the crimes actually committed, not for what some people think they might do.

wow! you must really be on heroin!

not even this study is arguing that heroin should be legalized, yet you do (and with a nonsensical argument like "it's my business")

it's quite safe to say that you can grow, produce and consume heroin for yourself pretty safely right now. it really is your business! until it's not, which is pretty fast.

     (and with a nonsensical argument like "it's my business")

I'm sorry, but your argument also seems to be "it's my business".

Because if it's not your business, why are you so interested in telling me (and others) what to do?