The US government uses drug laws to take billions of dollars from citizens every year, without having to convict or even charge them with any crime. Civil asset forfeiture allows the government to take your money, car, house, or anything else they want for any reason, and all they have to do is say they suspect your property was somehow connected to a drug crime.
Law enforcement agencies at all levels are on the take, from local cops and sheriffs on up, and the feds give kickbacks to local agencies when they contribute their loot to the feds in return for less accountability and restrictions.
This naked corruption is all you need to understand why the feds so desperately want to keep these drug laws in place.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_forfeiture_in_the_United...
https://reason.com/2021/06/11/when-is-a-civil-forfeiture-bas...
https://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2014/03/civil-asse...