> The people on HN and their social circles are waaay on the high end of conscientiousness
You overestimate some of us. I'd say that I'm in that third of the population that's susceptible to my vices. It's just that I can afford less harmful drugs and I call myself a hedonist to legitimise my proclivities with a philosophy.
These communities that are ravaged by crack and alcohol (a legal drug) would continue to be ravaged by crack and alcohol, even if LSD was made legal. It's just not that kind of drug. If anything, it might benefit the community because they might gain some introspection. These communities already have access to these drugs anyway; drugs are everywhere, they just choose heroin and crack over MDMA and LSD, for whatever reason.
Despite the best efforts of the War on Drugs, they are easier to find now than ever before, in many places people can get cocaine delivered faster than pizza [1]. Anybody that wants to do drugs is doing them. There aren't many people who avoid drugs purely because they are illegal, especially in at-risk communities.
I live in a 'vulnerable' neighbourhood, ridden with heroin addiction; so much so that there's a safe injection centre for heroin and methamphetamine around the corner from me. Nobody here is missing out on heroin because it's illegal. All the addicts can have as much heroin as they can afford here, it's so easy to find. If I walk to the shops in the afternoon, I can usually eyeball at least 2 or 3 dealers, without even trying.
Legalising drugs won't have effects that are anywhere near as severe as you might think.
You overestimate some of us. I'd say that I'm in that third of the population that's susceptible to my vices. It's just that I can afford less harmful drugs and I call myself a hedonist to legitimise my proclivities with a philosophy.
These communities that are ravaged by crack and alcohol (a legal drug) would continue to be ravaged by crack and alcohol, even if LSD was made legal. It's just not that kind of drug. If anything, it might benefit the community because they might gain some introspection. These communities already have access to these drugs anyway; drugs are everywhere, they just choose heroin and crack over MDMA and LSD, for whatever reason.
Despite the best efforts of the War on Drugs, they are easier to find now than ever before, in many places people can get cocaine delivered faster than pizza [1]. Anybody that wants to do drugs is doing them. There aren't many people who avoid drugs purely because they are illegal, especially in at-risk communities.
I live in a 'vulnerable' neighbourhood, ridden with heroin addiction; so much so that there's a safe injection centre for heroin and methamphetamine around the corner from me. Nobody here is missing out on heroin because it's illegal. All the addicts can have as much heroin as they can afford here, it's so easy to find. If I walk to the shops in the afternoon, I can usually eyeball at least 2 or 3 dealers, without even trying.
Legalising drugs won't have effects that are anywhere near as severe as you might think.
[1] https://www.globaldrugsurvey.com/gds-2018/cokeinoes-cocaine-...