But, by then treating the addiction as a medical condition rather than as criminal activity, that makes it much easier to overcome, and it's easier to intervene

But, by then treating the addiction as a medical condition rather than as criminal activity, that makes it much easier to overcome, and it's easier to intervene with someone performing a legal vs an illegal activity. Portugal experienced a lot of positive results with its decriminalisation of drugs, with the number of heroin users having significantly dropped since that was introduced. It doesn't magically stop being dangerous, but prohibition clearly doesn't work for any substance.