Originally Posted by
matt4x4 
Currently 20% of the population has a problem with booze and/or drugs. So in 50 years time, it will only increase, with the advent of legalization of marjiuna its only going to get worse with this gateway drug. Look at Vancouver with those needle shot-em-up street kiosks. I find it odd that at a local state level its legal but federally its illegal. This is what our government has come to. It amazes me some of the stuff that goes on like this.
I live in Vancouver and I assume you're referring to Insite, which is a safe injection site. It's not a street kiosk - it is a facility with medical personnel, clean needles and addictions counselors. Insite has prevented hundreds of overdose deaths and has been shown (in the Canadian Medical Journal) to have a positive effect on addicts - those who go to Insite are much more likely to enter rehab than those who continue to shoot up on the street. It's harm reduction, not encouragement.
As an aside about the legality of Insite - possession is illegal at the federal level (Canada does not have states and provinces do not have their own Criminal Code) but Insite has been specifically granted permission to operate because it helps addicts move into recovery and reduces healthcare costs.
And the idea that marijuana is a "gateway drug" is absolute garbage that I thought we'd moved past in the 21st century, but apparently not. This is what I mean by the United States ignoring evidence and setting policy based on ideology.