> They will be mental health money sponges for the rest of their lives (esp. ones that relapse), and the people that made good choices have to pay for it all. I

> They will be mental health money sponges for the rest of their lives (esp. ones that relapse), and the people that made good choices have to pay for it all. It just seems unfair. Others have tackled the misconception that addicts are addicts for life, so I will point out instead that you are paying anyway, because currently these people tend to end up in the prison system. If the drugs are legal, and the addicts are treated as patients instead of criminals, it removes a lot of the incentives to steal or rob in order to support the habit. Getting treatment makes it more likely for them to start making better decisions, which enriches the society as a whole. It is entirely plausible, likely in fact, that legalization and treatment will cost less than maintaining the gigantic prison population we have currently. Perhaps instead of thinking of it as charity, you could think of it as a better investment.