I think one of the elements at play here is the appeal of not facing criminal charges for use. Because Oregon opted for early adoption, Oregon became a hotspot.

I think one of the elements at play here is the appeal of not facing criminal charges for use. Because Oregon opted for early adoption, Oregon became a hotspot. It makes some sense that this would create a disproportionate response, and draw in both high-functioning and low-functioning users as well as their counterparties e.g. dealers. Any read taken from Oregon can't really be representative of what a uniform policy would look like if deployed nationally. https://psmag.com/social-justice/people-addiction-simply-grow-widely-denied-91605 https://psmag.com/social-justice/people-addiction-simply-gro... I think that's an interesting take and it's a pattern that I, too, experienced as a young adult. Tossing users into categories of addiction is pretty trivial because, in essence, the current definitions preclude non-addictive use because use itself is illegal and addiction indicates - legally - that actions in violation of the law are characteristic of addiction. All of this really requires an intimate understanding of the individual which is something I don't expect a system-wide approach is ever going to be meaningfully successful at. And additionally I think it serves the point to realize that everybody has a unique relationship with substances, the one-size-fits-all, which is more or less what we have, is only going to exacerbate the severity and elongate the course of suffering inflicted on individuals who would otherwise naturally and of their own volition course-correct because they're put through the same meat grinder as the smaller handful of extreme cases. It's masterful projection, but I bargained drug use for a steep enhancement in my quality of life and a potential future that was less bleak and otherwise easier than a gambling on success and failure in a more challenging and less hospitable existence which would allow me to continue my substance use pattern. In other words I cleaned up for a decent job. There's a lot of places where that simply isn't an accessible option - creating those opportunities is a win-win though. I think that may be the best modality.