What's complicated is that it's not really the drugs, it's the fact that people experience their lives in such a miserable way that oblivion through opiates is

What's complicated is that it's not really the drugs, it's the fact that people experience their lives in such a miserable way that oblivion through opiates is a better option. IMHO this is because of alienation, a loss of community, strong personal bonds, lack of goals. There's a famous experiment that sums it all up perfectly - the one where animals were given an unlimited supply of cocaine and they took it until they basically starved themselves to death. But when they put the animals in a nice stimulating environment with toys and friends to play with they basically ignored the drug supply. So yes, providing govt run shooting galleries will stop people from dying and you'll make them slightly less miserable but those people will still live lives that you wouldn't want for your children. They have an illness that needs to be cured.