Colorado's Supermax Prison

[Sidoh]

It seems like you're assuming use will increase if drugs are legalized. I'm not so sure it's safe to take that for granted.

[while1]

There will be plenty of people like myself, who have never used illegal drugs, and probably wouldn't use them even if they're legalized.  Although, I can imagine that if marijuana becomes legalized nationally and becomes taxed and regulated like alcohol, it will just become just like alcohol in terms of use, and therefore would see an overall increase in use.

[nslay]

At the very least, use would likely remain the same as prior to legalization. However, with no barrier to use, it's hard to imagine that there wouldn't be even a slight increase in use.

I guess the real question is:
How many commit crimes under the influence versus simply being caught possessing drugs?

[CrAz3D]

Drug cartel leaders - much like the booze running from organized crime during the 1920s - are a product of prohibition. Prohibition creates insane demand, and look where that's gotten us.

As a first step, legalization and treatment instead of prohibition and punishment needs to be explored.

Agreed. And it works: http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2011/07/05/ten-years-after-decriminalization-drug-abuse-down-by-half-in-portugal/

Well, not legalization, but decriminalizaion. That's what we need to do.

There will be plenty of people like myself, who have never used illegal drugs, and probably wouldn't use them even if they're legalized.  Although, I can imagine that if marijuana becomes legalized nationally and becomes taxed and regulated like alcohol, it will just become just like alcohol in terms of use, and therefore would see an overall increase in use.

re weed, that isnt an inherently bad thing. also, this: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/teens-pot-easier-to-buy-than-beer/

Basically, it's easier for kids to get pot than it is to get booze.

back to the OP: is it death or solitary or drugs? those seems to be the three options (and, again, drugs are expensive).

those people obviously cant be allowed to interact with people freely, so we must restraint them in some way. what way is "humane" enough?

death costs more than anything else, even life terms

if you want to bring cost into it, then death is off the table for being too expensive, leaving solitary or drugs.  If standard psychological treatment doesn't work, seems logical to offer the choice of psychiatric treatments before locking them up.

death sentences are only more expensive because of the process to go from charged with a crime to dead bad guy. that can be fixed.