You realize that prescription drug abuse is a monster right now. Heroin abuse is a mouse fart in comparison.
What do you think opioids are?
I didn't say it's impossible to obtain, but it's certainly more difficult to obtain than say, a bottle of Vicadins. I can literally walk into my doctors office right now, say my back is in extreme pain, and walk out with a script. I wouldnt know where to start looking for heroin. I could probably find it eventually, but I have to go out of my way and be determined to track some down.
And you'll get the bottle, as you said, and life will go on.
For lower income people, the doctor route is not such an easy option, thus, they go to more unsavoury and far less safe sorts.
At which point this argument branches, evidently. Why should the poor be denied the easy and safe access to drugs that someone such as you have? Why should they have to contend with dangerous drugs and OD's if they want their fix?
There's quite a few other "why"s in there, of course.
Now tie that with the glasgow study that showed that why, it is indeed quite possible to be a heroin junkie and lead a normal life.
The deeper you go, the more unsustainable the current approach is. The more mythical the current approach is. The more needlesly cruel the current approach is.
All we'd be doing is removing the cruelty. And destroying traffickers. And stop pretending that throwing people in prison is any sort of palliative measure.
No offense meant, Beard, but you simply do not know enough about drugs to properly hold an opinion on the subject. I say this not because you oppose mine, but because you're often saying completely baseless or flat out wrong statements.