What's happening in Mexico

[AZJonnie]

15. Most would not use fentanyl or heroin if they could get oxycodone or hydromorphone as cheaply/easily, so not those

There's also safer but still euphoric amphetamines than meth a lot of users would switch to if they were as available as meth. Dexedrine for example.

Which is to say there are some arguably valid harm-reduction strategies, with the billions currently used for interdiction to be re-focused instead on public health. So, heroin and fentanyl and methamphetamine specifically should probably not be "legal" but if similar, less dangerous analogs were, the vast majority would switch to the legal source, drastically cutting the market for the illegal and more dangerous forms.

There's also the argument for "freedom" generally, and the fact that since it's your own body, you should be able to imbibe what you want.

It'll never happen, though. We're lucky we even have methadone and buprenorphine as harm reduction (for now at least)