>you need some function to disincentivize people from being drawn to try drugs. Something that Bernie Sanders talked a lot about that I found very compelling w

>you need some function to disincentivize people from being drawn to try drugs. Something that Bernie Sanders talked a lot about that I found very compelling was the idea that a lot of people get into life ruining drugs (I'm talking heroin/meth, not weed/mushrooms) because they feel like they have no hope. A lot of them have little in the way of prospects. Drugs are an escape from the hopelessness in a lot of cases. If our society had a better social safety net combined with education about drugs that is based on facts/truth (there's plenty of truth about heroin/meth that would put off most people from ever trying it - but for a long time a lot of lies were told about other recreational substances.) it's likely that usage would go down organically.