Are you aware that Portugal has just over 2 million more people then New York alone? Horrible to base your idiotic "drugs should be legal" claim off a country that does not even have 1/4th of The United States population.
What does population have to do with the efficacy of a drug policy? Please explain to me why similar policies wouldn't work just because of differences in population. It sounds like you think it would be better to simply do nothing to improve the situation because the population is too big.
Drugs, legal or not, will cause Americans to participate in illegal activity to support their habit. It doesn't matter whether they are acquiring it legally or not. They're addicted, spending all their money on it, & then needing a source of income.
Wow, really? I wasn't aware tons of people were getting robbed over coffee, nyquil, deoderant and all kinds of other legal drugs! I usually use money from work to pay for such things, but I guess I'm supposed to be stealing to get money for these things?
I also use money from work to buy the pot I've been smoking for 20 years. I'm a musician and audio engineer. Almost everyone I work with smokes pot. We love what we do, and we would never miss work unless forced to. But according to you, that's impossible, right? Since we smoke pot, drink coffee, use deodorant and take prescription antibiotics when we're sick, then we must be thieves. Because it's totally impossible to make money if you've ever done a legal or illegal drug, right? That new 5 string bass I just picked up and the warm audio 1176 clone I just must have been stolen as well, right? I wonder how I ended up with these receipts, registration cards, and warranties? What a mystery! According to you, since I smoke pot, I HAVE to be a thief, even though you'll never hear of me stealing anything, and I have no criminal record. How does that fit into your bullshit narrative?
If drugs were legal in the United States unemployment rates would skyrocket no matter what regulations are put in place & there would still be a thriving black market for drugs.
Do you have anything to back up this statement whatsoever? Can you provide one example of the legalization or decriminalization of a drug or drugs leading to mass unemployment and the expansion of the black market? Because honestly, it sounds like you're just making shit up. You sound like a toxic person that can't stand when people actually try to make the world a better place. There are plenty of solutions to drug problems that don't involve heavily-armed cops going door to door killing unarmed people, as as those outlined in this article or this one or this one.