Up here, doctors are notoriously difficult to get any kind of opiate from now unless you REALLY need it. Which in turn I would say has led to people relying on the grey market more and more, which has in turn led to our fentanyl crisis.
So I don't entirely disagree with you here, but I still don't want government being able to tax these things. We need a better solution.
> https://slatestarcodex.com/2019/09/16/against-against-pseudo...
It is about what can go wrong when "doctors are notoriously difficult to get any kind of opiate from now unless you REALLY need it".
It is been a while since I read it, I don't remember whether it touches on homelessness.
California has legalized marijuana for many years and there's still a strong cartel presence in marijuana trafficking. Cartels still find a way to profit from marijuana, other drugs, and immigration.
I find the notion that making fentanyl available at no cost being good for society by removing cartel involvement to be completely nonsensical. The end result is still the same. You still have a substance on the street that is fatal in incredibly small doses, and being used as fillers in party- and counterfeit drugs.
Legalizing fentanyl isn't going to alter that dynamic nor change the drug's lethality.
So no, the criminal aspects just don't disappear. They merely adapt.
And it's worth pointing out that cannabis culture and opiate culture are not one and the same: cannabis is far less addictive and far more commonly used, even in areas where it is still criminalized.
It also costs significantly less - on the order of beer money or fast food - to afford a cannabis supply, than it costs to afford an illegal opiate supply. On top of that, you can often get the cost of prescriptions (alternative to illegal opiates) significantly lowered, especially outside the US.
So switching your cannabis supply from illegal to legal costs you more, but switching your opiate supply to a legal prescription can save you money. It's a totally different dynamic.
If opiate users have a reliable and affordable source, then they will not be motivated to commit crime to fund their addictions. If they are getting their drugs from a pharmaceutical source, with regular visits to a prescribing physician, then they can significantly lower the risk of overdose.
So yes, criminal aspects will be affected. So will mortality.