It's more than that. It's a moral panic. Drugs and crime are inexorably wedded in many people's minds, so to them drug users are criminals so moving towards l

It's more than that. It's a moral panic. Drugs and crime are inexorably wedded in many people's minds, so to them drug users are criminals so moving towards legalizing drugs is being soft on crime, which is a non-starter for a lot of politicians who want to seem tough on crime. The media also loves to whip up a sensationalistic frenzy when they publish lurid drug stories... and the public, including many politicians, buy this.