There is a reason economics is called "the dismal science". Most resources on the planet are finite and their consumption is a zero-sum game. If one less drug addict means having the public resources to supply one more diabetic child with life-saving insulin, which would you choose?

Essentially all choices real people make are not economically optimal.

> Most resources on the planet are finite and their consumption is a zero-sum game.

This is such a ridiculous viewpoint on a hacker forum. There are no intrinsic resources - iron ore is just a bunch of rocks, crude oil is a toxic sludge, Uranium is a bunch of radioactive ore.

Economy is not a zero sum game, it's about allocating current resources to expand future ones (AKA growth)

There is only one hospitable planet. Observe how we have treated it.

That’s a false choice that doesn’t exist and nothing more than a thought experiment.

> Why not extend this to everyone?

They already implicitly did. Turns out the dysfunctional criminal justice and medical system the praise affect more than just addicts. Who would have thought.