The legal status IMO is less important in this case than how the state treats it. In the Netherlands (correct me if I'm wrong), drugs are seen as a public healt

The legal status IMO is less important in this case than how the state treats it. In the Netherlands (correct me if I'm wrong), drugs are seen as a public health concern, and in the US its seen as a criminal problem. When its criminalized and demonized like it is here, then politicans must "crack down" on it to appear "tough on crime", and more progressive mitigation solutions (like supervised injection and treatment centers) aren't even entertained in our lust to imprison.