Thus the youth are less likely to enter this market. If drugs were legalized, both sellers and users are more likely to shift to less potent drugs. The quantity of drugs consumed will unambiguously increase , thus harming the individuals who choose to consume them. This can be shown in a supply and demand diagram for drugs. The supply curve shifts to the right because the risk of getting caught and imprisoned disappears.
More people enter the supply side of the market.
Some users will no longer purchase drugs because they are no longer illegal. In the chart, both the demand and supply shifts make the equilibrium quantity rise. External effects increase. When drug use increases, the negative externalities imposed upon others also increase. There will be more third-party victims because more people are choosing to use drugs.