Portugal Decriminalized All Drugs 11 Years Ago And The Results Are Staggering

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13. Drug Dealers live off a three legged stool

The first leg is Marijuana, it is what they sell the most off, it pays the bills.

The Second leg is the true addict, these are the steady income, these pay the bills to import and distribute the drugs. These are NOT as profitable as the first and third leg, but help keep the dealer and there distribution system profitable,

The third leg is the occasional user, some one who wants some cocaine for a party etc. These are not addicts, but what the drug when they want it and will pay top dollar for the drug. These are the big profit centers, but are NOT constant. You can NOT set up a distribution system on such occasional users.

Thus if you want to destroy the drug industry, you legalize Marijuana AND treat the addicts as addicts not criminals. i.e. develop a system where such addicts get treatment. Once these two groups are removed from the drug distributors list of customers, the drug dealer goes out of business for the final leg is to weak ON A CONSTANT BASIS to keep such dealers in business.

Portugal seems to hit on a way to achieve the above, treatment for drug addicts (including the drugs themselves, IF THAT IS WHAT IS NEEDED, remember unless the addict truly wants to quit, the addict will not, thus if the addict is addicted to heroin you may have to give the addict heroin). True drug addicts, do to they NEED for the drug, think nothing of getting someone else addicted, just so the true addict can get the drug they need. Thus addicts lead to more addicts. The government giving them the drug they need, cuts out the need to recruit new addicts (to buy the drug for the true addict in addition to the new addict), thus the number of new addicts drops.

Thus the best solution for the problems with drugs is the following:

1. Drug rehabilitation for anyone who whats it (Nixon was the last President to fully fund drug rehabilitation to that level).

2. For True addicts, which a court MUST find to exist for a person, the state has to provide the drug the true addict is addicted to, till such time as the true addict can go through rehabilitation. This will dry up the customer base for the drug dealer of the true addict.

3. Marijuana should be legalized and sold through a STATE owned Civil Service manned system. I live in Pennsylvania where such a system has existed since Prohibition when it comes to hard liquor (i.e. anything stronger then beer). For the simple reason Civil Service Employees KNOW they can say NO to a customer AND NOT lose their jobs is why it is rare to find hard liquor among teenagers (Beer which is sold via private enterprise is a different story). I repeat RARE, not unheard of, but rare. Marijuana should be sold the same way, to provide the drug for those people who want it, but providing the strongest incentives (Civil Service protection) to make sure the clerks selling Marijuana is selling it to people over age 21. This should dry up MOST of the customer base for Marijuana

The above would lead to lower amount of all illegal drugs being sold, first by driving out most of the illegal drug dealers out of business, second by making sure it is unprofitable to go into selling illegal drugs. Pennsylvania experience with beer and Alcohol shows the way to go, beer is sold by private enterprise often finds its way to teenagers and other people who should NOT be drinking. Hard liquor, while not unheard of, is a lot rarer for teenagers to get a hold of. Civil Service are noted for NOT selling anything at the best price, not providing the best service etc, but they do do one thing, they make sure they follow the rules so they keep they Civil Service Jobs. Remember in private enterprise, there is NOT job security, any employment contract is at will, which means supervisor/owners can set up systems that encourage sells to anyone, even addicts and teenagers. i.e. promotion to those that do it, termination for those that don't AND the burden of proof of such illegal termination is on the fired Employee, unlike a fired Civil Service employee, whose employer must PROVE the Civil Service employee broke some rule.

The above may pass some day, but I do not see any time in the Future (in fact the Governor OF Pennsylvania wants to get rid of the State Monopoly on selling hard Liquor, and turn it over to private enterprise).