Ahh but don't you realise that regulation is also part of
legislation, and that producing items that don't conform to the
regs would be criminal too? So as you as you tinker with the laws,
one form of crime decreases while another increases - driving under
the influence, counterfeit pharmaceuticals, etc.
When people commit offences or do stupid things, we also blame
the drugs because the users lose their ability to make rational
decisions whilst under the influence. I'd be amazed if someone
tried to preach the anti-drink-driving message to a tanked pubgoer.
It's this loss of judgment (one of those things that makes us
human) under the altered state that will make turning drugs
mainstream impossible.
You can obtain anything you want if you're desperate enough (as
you implied). And you need to be if you risk associations with drug
lords, the underworld and the other illegal activities they
conduct. Such unsavouriness and the resulting high prices also put
people off, as has been mentioned before.
People who try to benefit in irresponsible ways will always be a
headache whatever the regulations, so the other approach is to
reduce the demand, by setting barriers and making even that first
taste less accessible than ideal. Criminalising the trafficking and
propagation of the drug and its habit, whatever its effect on
others, is a logical step that follows.
I don't have hard facts or figures, and it's flawed, but no less
so than the alternative.
I do understand that drugs would require regulation if
legalised. However, to prevent crimes involving drug use such as
driving while under the influence, laws enforcing a minimum age to
purchase drugs as with alcohol and tobacco, making it illegal for
supplying minors with drugs and imposing extremely harsh penalties
for harming others while under the influence which would apply to
driving under the influence whether or not anyone is actually
harmed.
Even though another form of crime will increase, those crimes
are actually unlawful and should be punished as opposed to the
previous injustice of having many harmless and responsible drug
users prosecuted.
Despite what many may think, obtaining drugs even in Singapore
is extremely easy, by no means do you have to be desperate. You
wouldn't even have to associate with drug lords, just small-time
dealers at the very bottom of the chain, you can even get some from
people you don't know by just asking around in clubs.
The reduction of demand could be done through the introduction
of warning labels on legally sold drugs much like with cigarettes
and the harder drugs such as heroin could be controlled by
requiring doctor's permission for its medical use. I don't see why
we need to reduce the demand of lighter drugs such as marijuana as
it isn't as dangerous as those legal drugs sold openly such as
alcohol and tobacco.