[Phantom Lord]

And if they can get it legally, they won't have to steal the radio out of your car to pay for their drugs.

How could this be true? If they have to steal to pay for it today, how will they magically have more money by legal means tomorrow to pay for it if it is legal?

[Dakmar]

Because prohibition acts as an artificial price support system. During alcohol prohibition a shot of whiskey cost about 8 dollars in todays terms, if I remember correctly from the documentary on the History Channel.

[Nate505]

How could this be true? If they have to steal to pay for it today, how will they magically have more money by legal means tomorrow to pay for it if it is legal?

The same way alcoholic bums get their money....begging. They will be able to beg a certain amount or do enough odd jobs to get their fix. Even if they do have to steal, the amount they have to steal would drop (instead of stealing enough car stereos to pay for a $50-100 a day habit, they'd only have to steal enough to pay for a $10-20 a day habit).

[Magician]

Decriminalizing hard durgs would reduce the cost radically. A fix of crack cocaine costs about $10-20. A firmly addicted person will use about 5-10 fixes per day. The habit will cost them about $50-200 per day. Unless they are very wealthy, crack addicts are forced to steal or resort to prostitution to maintain their habit as a result. The economics is abou the same for heroin addicts.

On the other hand, legalized cocaine would likely cost about $1.00 per dose or even less, since cocaine is in fact very cheap to produce. The cost per day would be $5-10. The necessity to engage in criminal activity to maintain the addict is thus greatly reduced to the point where they could probably earn enough on their job to pay for their habit (cocaine addicts behave very normally when they have a steady supply and have regulated their own use).