1. Age-Tiered Legalization

First and foremost substance age restrictions are illogical. You’re an adult at 18 but have to wait 3 years in the US for legal use. It should either be 18 or around 25 to adhere to legal or biological principles. If not that then Substances should be accessible based on an age system that aligns with their risks and impacts:

• 16  (Low-Risk Substances):

• Caffeine, herbal teas, mild over-the-counter stimulants like guarana or green tea extract.

• These substances have minimal health risks and require little regulation beyond age limits.

• 18  (Moderate-Risk Substances):

• Cannabis, kava, kratom, kanna.

• These pose lower risks of addiction or harm and have medical/recreational value.

• 21  (Gray Area Substances):

• Alcohol, tobacco, and cocaine.

• High risks but widely accepted culturally. These should follow cannabis-style rules, including purchase limits and potency caps.

• 25  (Light Psychedelics):

• Psilocybin (shrooms), mescaline.

• Recreational access with clear regulations (e.g., potency limits, public education) and therapeutic applications.

• 25  (Super Hard and Controlled Substances - Restricted Access):

• heroin, methamphetamine, fentanyl.

• Access limited to medical or therapeutic contexts with some recreational exceptions (e.g., under strict prerequisites like health screenings).

•for stronger psychedelics like LSD, Salvia, MDMA, ibogaine etc we could follow a similar system but lighter in restrictions.

1. Substance Packaging

   • All substances should have accurate test results, clear potency labels, and health warnings like to like is required for legal cannabis.

   • Child-resistant containers should be mandatory for all but the lightest substances, such as caffeine.

   • Cigarettes should be sold in child-proof packaging to reduce the risk of accidental consumption.

2. A Nuanced Legalization System

   • Decriminalization of all substances: Remove criminal penalties for personal use and possession to reduce the harm caused by prohibition.

   • Different treatments for different substances:

   • Super hard drugs (e.g., heroin, fentanyl) and hallucinogens should be primarily restricted to medical use or therapeutic settings. Recreational access should involve prerequisites (e.g., mental health screenings). And on a similar but way less strict course we can do the same with harder psychedelics previously mentioned.

   • Light psychedelics (e.g., psilocybin, mescaline) and moderate-risk substances (e.g., cannabis, kava) should have recreational access under strict regulations.

   • Gray area substances (e.g., cocaine) should follow cannabis-style purchase limits and potency restrictions.

   • Medical and therapeutic uses for all substances: Substances like cannabis, psilocybin, and MDMA offer clear therapeutic value for pain relief and mental health treatments.

3. Regulatory Mechanisms

   • Adopt the current legal cannabis framework for substances in “gray areas” or with recreational and medical overlap.

   • Implement tracking systems to limit the purchase of certain substances (e.g., daily/weekly limits for cocaine).

   • Develop a tiered licensing system for distribution and sale based on the risk category of substances.

Potential Benefits

This framework would provide the following advantages:

• Economic Benefits:

• Increased tax revenue from regulated sales.

• Creation of new industries and jobs around 

production, testing, and distribution.

• Social and Public Health Benefits:

• Reduction in overdose deaths by ensuring safe, regulated products.

• Improved access to addiction recovery and therapeutic treatments.

• Decreased stigma around substance use, encouraging people to seek help when needed.

• Judicial and Law Enforcement Benefits:

• Significant savings in policing, court proceedings, and incarceration costs.

• Freed-up resources for addressing violent crimes and other pressing issues.

• Reduced prison populations and opportunities for reintegration for those previously criminalized.

• Individual Freedom and Safety:

• Safer access to substances reduces risks from contaminated black-market products.

• Responsible adults can make informed choices about their health and lifestyle.

• Harm Reduction for Addicts:

• Focused on making substances safer and integrating addicts into recovery, rather than punishment.

Honestly in my opinion, a system like this would make everyone a winner more or less and actively solve a big problem comprised of several smaller problems. Lastly I also think prostitution should be legal but only a sort of brothel based market where workers aren’t on the streets, in danger, and pay taxes.