Having lived through a period in which 'everyone' 'knew' that pot would be legal by 1982, tops---and note that neither I nor most of them were using drugs at the time---I'll believe the drugs war were ended when I see it and that seems irreversible.

I'm concerned that we're in a 'let an hundred flowers bloom stage' that will make it all the easier to know whom to cut-down in the fullness of time---at least recreational pot doesn't make you put your name on a list of federal drugs laws (and quite possibly, R.I.C.O.) violators.

Looking at that chart, the 2nd derivative really went vertical around 2013-2014.

Wonder what changed back then...

I understand why opiate-related deaths are down and how that plays into an increase in heroin overdoses, but why is EVERYTHING else up so dramatically? Small spikes in the months near the financial meltdown '07–'09 placed blame there, but longer-term chart paints just the opposite picture. Perhaps the most vulnerable Americans are feeling increasingly more hopeless while the newly rich young are partying that much harder? It's all interesting.

@4 - If every poor life decision was a capital offense, there would be 20 amps surging through your keyboard.

It's a result of the supremely successful War on Drugs meeting the NeoCon permanent war in faraway poppy growing lands. Win-Win!

SROTU@2, what happened at that juncture was a smackdown on excessive Oxycontin prescribing/consumption. Soooooo.....

@14: Invoking the Three Laws of Robotics AND counting from zero rather than one. I like you, Fnord.