I agree that the criminalization of drug trafficking is largely a hidden subsidy for law enforcement. Keeping an entire police force busy with controlling borde

I agree that the criminalization of drug trafficking is largely a hidden subsidy for law enforcement. Keeping an entire police force busy with controlling borders and neighborhoods creates huge spillover effects in the economy - whether it's for the local donut shop, national firearms and communications industry, prisons or even the car industry. But as the previous comment mentioned, this can hardly be a global maximum. Right now the local governments are mostly funding a vast array of blue collar workers (prisoner guards, police officers, fast food worker) rather than a smaller set of white collar workers (chemists and physicians) which would manufacture and administer herion/cocaine/etc to those trapped in a severe addiction. From that point of view the current support for a strong stance against the decriminalization of drugs is neither surprising nor unreasonable for a large portion of society. Although the reasons might be more economical than moral in nature.