Cause and effect
The biggest point, that alot of you liberal monkeys are missing is this:
Drug users, and the things that they are (being poor, unmotivated, robbers, w/e stereotype you get spoon fed from the idiot box) are not so much a result of them using drugs, but more the very cause of it. I'm not saying getting stoned makes things better, usually, it disables some particular component of your consciousness, causing erratic (and quite enjoyable) effects, often amplifying social problems in people with problems to begin with. But like alcohol, I do believe that when moderated and used responsibly, it can be just another recreational option, instead of some sinister evil in our society.
On top of that, this "war on drugs" has done little but waste tax money, and drive people into the circles of criminals. Because they are illegal, drugs tailor to those who are disenfranchised with society or the current authority they are under. Its one more way to give it the finger, and have a bit of out-of-your-mind "fun" in the process.
If you take away the evil label (and that's a pretty much impossible battle because all these morons are die-hard against that, 30-years of government programming will do that), and useless policy, you will effectively change the nature of the whole beast. On top of taxing it (getting money from it, instead of wasting money combating it all-out), a change in the public will occur. People, who drink recreationaly, are typically educated enough in the subject to keep it at that level. I believe the same can be achieved with drugs. Or at least some of them. Cannabis is one that really sticks out. Its less toxic than alcohol or tobacco, yet, for some weird reason, its a bad drug? Inconsistent, and quite honestly, just moronic.