The "iron law of prohibition" teaches us this: prohibiting a substance drives out all but the most potent forms of that substance. Back during alcohol prohibition in the US, people made, smuggled, and sold "white lightning" not light beer.<p>In the case of opiods, the most potent forms are stuff like street fentanyl and oxy 80s pulverized. Milligram mistakes in dosages of this stuff are very dangerous.<p>The iron law leads to a paradox: decriminalizing a substance makes it safer. Obviously it's more complex than that: addicts need access to safe supplies of the substance. But it's still true.<p>But keeping opiods criminalized is, basically, makework for law enforcement and public safety people, not to mention people with names like El Chapo.<p>Switzerland and Portugal are having good success with decriminalization and treatment. Juristictions who don't need anything in the way of foreign aid or other cooperation from the USA are in the best position to do this.<p>Source: Chasing The Scream, a book by Johann Hari.