The same argument is better directed at drug prohibition writ large, and seems intellectually incoherent when focused selectively on individual enforcement actions.

Too, there's something galling about the idea of militating for forbearance for the drug market that serves primarily the wealthiest actors. Before we turn a blind eye to what are in fact gigantic organized criminal conspiracies operated by the kinds of people who will happily slap $70,000 on the barrel for a vanity electric car, maybe we could take a hard look at sentencing laws and early release programs.

Finally: it's an easy sleight of hand trick to suggest that the "darknet" traffic solely in substances, as if allowing them to operate unimpeded would have only the effect of getting some of the drug trade off the street.