Published response to “Do We Really Want a ‘Needle Park’ on American Soil?,” an Wall Street Journal op-ed by Joseph A. Califano and William J. Bennett.

The picture the authors paint of a drug-legalized America is sensationalist and plays on existing societal fears that drug use will spread like a disease, infecting all of its users with addiction and a criminal record. However, their message about the public-health risks that legalization might pose should be heard. Their claim that legalization will “only make harmful substances cheaper, easier to obtain, and more socially acceptable to use” is hard to refute, but their subsequent analysis that the public burden on criminal justice and health-care systems will cost the state more than a tax on legal marijuana would earn, packs real punch. They also make strong points about risks for drug exposure to youths and potential issues for federal programs like Medicaid.

Lacking in their article are substantive policy solutions.