I've felt legal was bad, while decriminalisation was for the best, at a personal level as it focuses resources to dealers and importers and leaves social serves

I've felt legal was bad, while decriminalisation was for the best, at a personal level as it focuses resources to dealers and importers and leaves social serves for the addicts as jail doesn't seem to be a working solution, but that probably to do with the prison system also. I recall decriminalisation worked well in Portugal, and maybe it's not repeatable but I wonder if there are other variables beyond the drugs here. I couldn't read the article as behind a paywall but US seems to have other more significant issues where crimes themself are not getting dealt with in these areas. You don't charge addicts for drug use, but when they are stealing or fighting etc they need to be caught and charged. Also there needs to be social support which seems lacking in US compared to other western countries. And bigger picture, when I watch iterviews with people caught in this life so many grow with parents and communities like this. This cycle needs to be broken somehow but doing so going into ethical grey zones, like Project Prevention, where I feel it's a difficult positive to push for but for the best outcome (in my view) but respect that people can be totally valid feeling otherwise. At the moment it really seems one of those unsolvable issues. Such a shame it can't be stopped at the supply side.