Clown Applying Makeup

This seems like a counterintuitive idea but I wonder how many overdose deaths would be prevented if heroin, fentanyl, etc was legal...?

(I tend to think the main reasons people OD these days is because they do not know what they're taking, nor in what dosage.)

And from the complete opposite end of the compassion spectrum- Should we be trying to save the lives of heroin and other drug addicts in the first place...?

Idk. This kind of parallels a discussion I had with someone else about suicidal people.... I can't imagine deciding to try heroin and not being suicidal on some level. I mean it's not exactly a surprise where that decision will lead.....(or often leads anyway).

But if the addiction is a symptom, doesn't that make it incidental? And aren't the underlying issues worth attempting to address before tossing the person overboard? (Conceptually anyway.)

I'm talking about the decision for the initial use that leads into the addiction.

But idk. What are the underlying issues? It's like where do you draw the line..? Well... assuming there is a line. Maybe there is no line. Anyone can commit suicide/do drugs (or nobody can). If there is a line , who gets to decide what it is?

This also parallels the abortion debate in a way... Where is the line when they can no longer be allowed? should they never be allowed at any time? Or should they always be allowed at any time during the pregnancy?

I love nuanced discussions! That's where the real meat of a topic is found.

Answer: there's no clear answer, but asking the question means you're on the right track. The only way to fail is to mistake your view for objective truth and then unilaterally impose it on everyone else.