I in no way condone drug usage. It is very foolish and self-destructive. But I think there is a lot in the whole forbidden fruit thing ADM mentioned. When you tell someone they can't have something, it becomes even more desirable. If drugs were legalized, it is very likely a lot less people would be inclined to start using them in the first place. Of course there is no way to know what exactly would happen if they were legalized, one thing is sure, you would have a lot less illegal drug traffic and everything else that goes with it. The market would crash the second Wal-Mart added them next to their tocacco section.