On: Seattle has stopped charging people for personal drug possession

[llamathrowaway]

Leaving them on the streets or in a state of perpetual craving and poverty is expensive, too. The studies others cited says crime rates plummeted. Imagine how much damage local people and businesses might have suffered, imagine how much police efforts might have been spent, and emergency room visits that might have occurred, if those people were not given treatment.

My guess is that since we already have studies where people are given heroin as a form of rehabilitation, there should also be some studies about the cost of such programs. Wish someone could share some of them.

[_q1cj → llamathrowaway]

I completely agree! I think the narrative would then become “rich and greedy big pharma gets rich selling legal narcotics to addicts”

[CaptainZapp → _q1cj]

I think the narrative would then become “rich and greedy big pharma gets rich selling legal narcotics to addicts”

Why would ?

Look up Purdue Pharma and their colleagues. Pay attention to the shenagigans they applied to get millions of Americans hooked.

Argueably the only difference between that lot and your average street dealer is that the street dealer doesn't buy himself a bunch of politicians.