See how that "always been like this" logic doesn't make any sense? I have yet to hear a coherent reason why drugs should be decriminalized or legalized.
When you have invited substances to take over your mind, you can't be sure that it will let you be the captain on the boat without a heavy fight.
It's a slippery slope argument, it's like saying cutting yourself should be a crime, because people who cut themselves have issues and could harm others.
Just like drug users, they should be helped, not punished.
Though buying (some) drugs is like buying blood diamonds, funding misery for your own satisfaction.
Tell that to the children of addicts
The current legal status of most drugs in the US has a profoundly net negative affect on drug use and its ripples, not positive, because anyone wanting to help those addict parents risks just having them simply thrown in prison for who knows how long. Until seeking help isn't a massive risk, addicts will always end up helplessly trapped.
Cigarettes and alcohol harm those near them, but there are stiff regulations in place, there are social stigmas attached, and heavy legal consequences.
The legalization gives the government the funding to actually do something about it in proportion to demand.
We already have seen this during prohibition. It’s either regulate demand, or pretend that it can be banned and let a non government entity rise up and take power.