The parent claimed without proof that California has a huge drug problem. I interpreted this to be part of an argument that this measure would contribute to thi

The parent claimed without proof that California has a huge drug problem. I interpreted this to be part of an argument that this measure would contribute to this purported drug problem. But the first question I asked was "is California's drug problem indeed worse than other states", and the first objective metric I thought of was deaths by overdose. The context of this exchange in a larger strain of debate is there is a long running caricature of California as a failed state with rampant problems, based partially on the truth, but usually perpetuated and exaggerated by people from out of state with a political agenda. California has a huge problem with homelessness and COL, but I interpret this as mainly caused by terrible housing policies, and am skeptical of people who conclude that this means California's policies and/or culture are generally terrible. Specifically, in this case, homelessness in CA in an insufficient reason for me to conclude that CA is heading the wrong direction on drug policy.