"...the whole country will be strung out in weeks if we legalize the stuff."
Some would point to the thinning of the herd aspect of allowing those so inclined to kill themselves with their drug(s) of choice...Less losers = less problems.
One friend of mine suggests that we need to make adult play centers that have pitfalls, like dead drops, to keep people fit and alert. The kicker is that they would be placed in such a way that it would be necessary to traverse them to get to essentials like the DMV, liquor store, etc.
But I guess the big question is whether you think these people on drugs will create a massive amount of collateral damage or not on their way to thin themselves out? I imagine cars crashing through walls, people passing out with their stoves on and burning down their apartments, strung-out people electrocuting themselves, that kind of thing.
None of the drugs currently prohibited were as popular before being prohibited as alcohol was before it was prohibited, so I don't see any reason to expect that they would be as popular after prohibition as alcohol was.
Heck, none of them are as popular while prohibited as alcohol was while it was prohibited.
Not that I think your statement correctly presents the response to the end of alcohol prohibition, either.
Have you ever visited the USA? Or any other area where it's legal for adults to purchase and consume alcohol? If not, I think you should do so at your earliest opportunity. It might blow your mind.