The "war on drugs" (to the extent there is one) is a war based on societal ideals and an intolerance of things (like drug abuse) that erode the basis of a society.
Society has a collective right to protect itself.
I support the war on drugs on that basis. While there are clearly many economical aspects to consider, It is not and should not ever be a purely economical decision.
It is not just an economical stand point. Ending the war on drugs breaks up the drug cartels and also reduces the massive prison population. The drug war is used to control the populace and enhance the for profit prisons. The drug war has failed us, and has shown not to deter drugs or drug users.
If you succeed in undoing all of that... drug abuse will still be a problem that society will have to deal with.
Ending the so called war on drugs without dealing with the problems of drug abuse will simply swap one set of problems for another.
Do you actually know any drug addicts?
I do.
Well I have a friend who smokes pot. I think we ought to be helping those who use drugs with treatment rather than ruining them. I am for amnesty for non-violent drug users and believe releasing them would be a good thing. That way we won't have to release all the worst criminals and won't have to worry about the overpopulation problem.