>I mean, think of it this way: If you are a poor, violent and traumatized youth, and drugs were legal and you wanted to make a quick buck, you'd turn to robbery

>I mean, think of it this way: If you are a poor, violent and traumatized youth, and drugs were legal and you wanted to make a quick buck, you'd turn to robbery or worse, kidnapping/murder. Is there any evidence of such a "rise the lowest forbidden fruits won't impact the crop"? Without data, one could just as well argue that it favors criminal paths by smoothing the road. Think of it this way: if you rule death penalty for illegal music download, you further banalize evil by broadcasting the message that the worst social behaviors is ethically equivalent, as far as law pretends to pursue some ethical aims, as something as harmless. Nota bene: I don't imply that death penalty is acceptable for any kind of judicial sentence. Human errors and possibility of political abuses should be sufficient points to definitely end such a practice out of any legislation that pretends to respect its citizen dignity.