>So, decriminalize drugs, you at least remove the profit element from that item
Sadly, if you look at how things are going down with the marijuana industry, they're basically just taking over the privatized markets through "government regulations" to make this a "legal" way to further exploit humanity for corporate profits. My state legalized medical, but continued to leave legislation extremely vague, so it allowed for "law enforcement" to continue to persecute throughout the "legalization" process.
Now, they've managed to make it completely "legal". Conveniently after they started allowing for mass facilities to start operation (after one pays hefty fees to "apply" for the permit). Not surprisingly, after many independent "growers" already made hefty personal investments, time and effort into finding out what works or does not. So, then. The state decided to change the wording in the legislation to make it "illegal" for these private independents to sell their product to any store front. Adding addition fees, regulations, and permits. All the while leaving these growers with overages that would be technically considered as "illegal" amounts now. And the state law enforcement is now actively going after these "criminals", many of whom genuinely tried to do things the "legal" way, but were ultimately fucked royally by our corrupt AF "justice" system.
Meanwhile, they've yet to comment on the millions of individuals who were fined, jailed, prosecuted to the fullest extent only about a dozen years ago for using cannabis as a medical substance. Something they maintained was "impossible" as said substance is listed federally as having "no medicinal value". Despite humans using this natural plant for over two millennia for medicinal purposes. They kept the restrictions in place for a century to ensure that said substance could not be tested to "confirm" it's MANY medicinal properties. However, that did not stop the voters or legislators from making the decisions which ultimately led us into this current conundrum, despite having no background in the medical field (or even TRUE science for that matter). And I haven't even mentioned how the "special interest groups" along with their propaganda has come into play, and continues to fuck this whole mess up further than it ever had to be…