None of this addresses the fact that hundreds of thousands of people die every year due to either drug use, or the black market trade thereof. It's a literal public health crisis.

No it doesn't it, that wasn't my intention to address that point. That's a much tougher issue. That doesn't mean we can't reduce some of these drug sentences and free up tax payer funds.

less likely? maybe. much less likely? hardly.

when you're sitting around all day drugs look more like a good idea to kill time for many people. ive heard it plenty of times, people do drugs in jail/prison because they're bored. people fall back into old habits, etc.

my point is that it's not hard by any means to get drugs in jail. so if you're putting users (who want to use) in jail they'll be able to find drugs. they might go without pudding for a month or lose their anal virginity or spend money they earned on huber leave. but if they want a drug they'll be able to get it, jail or no.

you seem to be operating under and assumption that getting drugs in jail is harder to a preventable degree than on the outside. and that's simply not the case from the time ive spent working in and around them. any convict would laugh at the very idea that getting drugs in jail would be described as "hard".

so let me ask simply, do you think it's "hard" to get drugs in jail? and do you have anything other than a string of "common sense" to back that up? "supervision" and homebrew econ lessons aren't a source that discounts actual convicts.

It's harder than the outside world that's obvious. You trying to go on various tangents because you can't admit this simple reality is getting boring.

End the drug war outright, commute all non-violent drug convictions, move some of the money freed up by the end of the drug war to education and treatment, re-purpose some of the newly-idle human resources to stopping human trafficking.

That'll free up a ton of taxpayer funds.

What i'm saying takes a step in that direction, yet you guys are yelling because we don't directly go there. Change is incremental and what i'm saying is palatable and achievable in the short term.

maybe you should learn to read genius.

And I'm saying baby steps aren't working when this many people are dying.

What you’re asking for wouldn’t happen though so what’s even the point?

That bill would die very quickly. If you had the chance to move the needle you wouldn’t just because the needle doesn’t go as far as you want?

Reducing sentences would be a positive first step, but it still leaves the criminalized status of drugs in place, and still allows for the incarceration of non-violent drug offenders. I'm well aware of how spineless our political class is with regard to this issue. That doesn't change my opinion that ending it outright is the right thing to do.