Some people just can't shake the propaganda out of their systems...

Why should the legalization of a drug result in increased use and why would it make it easier for youth to obtain drugs?

The way I see it, you legalize a drug and tax it. Use the tax revenue to educate the population on the effects of the drug and pay for medical costs resulting from its use. Legal mass-produced drugs will be cheaper and of higher quality than the illegal shit sold on the streets, dropping profit margins and killing the street trade. Without street dealers, the only way to aquire the drug is by buying it from the government, which regulates use and restricts access based on age. Just like alcohol, the drug becomes MORE difficult for youth to obtain. Of-age citizens purchase the drug from a consistent, safe source that can monitor for unsafe addicts and see to it that they get medical attention. As is, we spend billions trying to achieve the impossible, and then spend billions more on medical costs resulting from unsafe drug use.

Addiction is inevitable. Addicts are not criminals. Addiction is a medical issue and needs to be treated as such. So let's kill like eight birds with one stone and stop trying to criminalize personal morality.