This is a much more complicated issue. Some currently illegal recreational drugs could be legalized for an net reduction in overall harm (e.g. Marijuana). But i

This is a much more complicated issue. Some currently illegal recreational drugs could be legalized for an net reduction in overall harm (e.g. Marijuana). But it's not clear that a significantly more permissive attitude toward, for instance, crack is a net winner. The second half of your argument doesn't stand up to close scrutiny: http://www.samefacts.com/2009/05/drug-policy/cheech-and-chong-mathematics/ http://www.samefacts.com/2009/05/drug-policy/cheech-and-chon... The summary of the above is that you won't generate significant taxes unless you can create a significant number of new problem users of the drug in question. But leaving both of those arguments aside, what do you do with people who don't behave themselves under the influence of their (legal or illegal) drug of choice? Judge Alm's program is meant to deal with this exact type of offender, and does quite a good job at it at minimal cost.