As far as there "always" being people doing drugs- I think that if we spent the same amount per year dealing with the actual problem of poverty that we do dealing with the repercussions of poverty and foreign wars, the drug trade and crime in general would be significantly reduced.

I don't think drugs should be legalized. There is always going to be a battle over control with drugs, because they will always be profitable. It's not going to suddenly turn into a legitimate operation- look at other vice industries like gambling, tobacco, and alcohol. While alcohol and tobacco are legal and generally without involvement in organized crime, they are still morally reprehensible. Just like mafia involvement in gambling, the cartels are always going to have something to do with the drug trade, and they're still going to kill one another rather than trying to offer the product more competitively.

That said, I don't think drug possession should be punished with anything more than a fine. Dealers of hard drugs should still be jailed.

Some cultures can legalize it successfully, and I understand that. But self restraint is not an American value, and to pretend like we'll be just as successful as other places in legalizing it is naive.