good suggestion there smallpiper.

I disagree that it is not the drugs themselves that are the   problem. That is like saying a slow-loading   musket is virtually the same as a semi-automatic machine gun.

Marijuana is not addictive, nor is hash, nor apparently is ecstasy or psilocybin mushroms or LSD. Cocaine and heroin and Oxycontin and morphine and Demerol are highly addictive, as are many ampetamines. Notice there are some legal drugs mentioned in there. People steal to support addictive drug habits. Rarely does anyone resort to theft to fulfill a desire to smoke pot or take ecstasy (I am not supporting ecstasy use, BTW; I understand the "new" pill form   can be very dangerous and I always advise my students not to do it). I am not saying use of the psychotropic or hallucinogenic drugs is not without problems or dangers...but we need to be clear that specific substances have their diferences, and the economics, crime statistics and psychopathology they engender are all very different.

Ever talk to people who have been addicted to prescription pain killers for years? They slur their words, blank out half the time, and look like hell; they usually are unemployed or on disability. Soem have legitimate health problems but most of them are unwilling to explore alternative methods for addressing their chronic pain issues (like acupuncture, changes in diet/lifestyle, physical therapy, stress management, etc.) because they are   addicted and it's much easier to pop a pill than to do something pro-active (I think this is true in some cases of people who rely on mood enhancers or anti-depressants, though also agree these drugs help a great many people). Meanwhile, many people I know who smoke marijuana or hashish daily are high-functioning members of society (albeit prone to watch TV or eat juink food late at night but that is true of non drug users as well).

The way the prison system deals with addicts is atrocious. Apparently it is very easy to obtain drugs in prison. Rehabilitation is almost nil. Those incarcerated on possession charges who are users as opposed to dealers usually get right back into the lifestyle once they get out.

We have become a very addictive society; food, drugs, sex, spending, alcohol, cigarettes, violence, technology, and bad behavior. Part of it seems to be that we need a quick fix for everything (no pun intended). The pharmaceutical industry surely shoulders blame here but I don't see them losing any money; nor do I see them focusing on cures for devastating diseases that only affect Third World countries: much more profitable to keep inventing subtle pills that make disgruntled American Yuppies with empty lives feel better. The new trend will be "performance enhancing" drugs.

Gotta   stop now this is too depressing