Self interest or perceived self-interest. Druggies who want to do drugs support it. Just like gamblers support loosening gambling restrictions. It's narrow and short-term self-interest usurping broader and long-term societal interests. The way society has gone the past decade, it doesn't seem like the elites place much value on the population at large. No elite that wants to extract productive value from a population over the long-term would legalize drugs, gambling, etc. At best, it would be a one-time value extraction akin to strip mining. It's jarring to read sport articles that are just gambling advertisements. Something that was unthinkable not too long ago is now the norm.