# prisoners in for drug related charges **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 11, 2012, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prisoners-in-for-drug-related-charges/609170 "2012-01-11T15:51:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BigBertha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@BigBertha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigBertha)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2012, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prisoners-in-for-drug-related-charges/609170/1 "2012-01-11T15:51:35Z")
If most drugs were legalised, what would be the effect on the prison population. How decimated would it be and what would happen then? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2012, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prisoners-in-for-drug-related-charges/609170/2 "2012-01-11T16:15:46Z")
I don’t believe anything would happen unless there was an amnesty involved. They were convicted of something that was illegal at the time they were convicted. If there was an amnesty, I don’t think it would affect very many prisoners. While a lot of people are imprisoned for drug crimes, very few of them are imprisoned solely for drug crimes. So a drug addict who held up convenience stores to pay for his drug habit would still serve his sentence for robbery. ---
**Author:** ![AndyLee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/898d66/32.png) [@AndyLee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndyLee)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2012, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prisoners-in-for-drug-related-charges/609170/3 "2012-01-11T17:21:14Z")
Well let’s look at history. What happened to all the people in prison, in jail and arrested for alcohol when prohibition was repealed? ---
**Author:** ![thatguyjeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6de8d8/32.png) [@thatguyjeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thatguyjeff)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2012, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prisoners-in-for-drug-related-charges/609170/4 "2012-01-11T17:37:56Z")
> [@AndyLee](#): > > Well let’s look at history. What happened to all the people in prison, in jail and arrested for alcohol when prohibition was repealed? Part of why prohibition was repealed was that it was not being enforced. Thus, not many who were committing prohibition related crimes were arrested/convicted. Whereas drug laws are currently heavily enforced. So I don’t think that’s a valid comparison. I believe the prison population would certainly decline. And the drug crime criminals would not be the only ones no longer being imprisoned. There is a litany of criminals who are incarcerated for gun/violent crime which would also decline. There is so much crime associated with drug trafficking right now. Gang/organized crime would also decline. Drug trafficking tends to be their primary source of income. Without that income… though I’m sure there would be an increase in other crimes as they scramble for new income sources - illegal gambling, prostitution, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2012, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prisoners-in-for-drug-related-charges/609170/5 "2012-01-11T17:39:55Z")
The ones already sentenced stayed in prison. Everyone else got off.