A New Magazine Helps Addicts Fund Their Addictions—Legally

“If you give them any money, they’ll only spend it on drugs."

Nearly every city-dweller has heard this argument against giving money to panhandlers. But now, a new European magazine actually aims to do just that. Called Illegal!, the magazine is sold by drug users, with their individual profits hopefully deterring them from crime by giving them a less destructive way to fund their habits. Launched in Copenhagen last year, the first English-language edition of the magazine hit the streets of London this month. Working on the same model as The Big Issue, a newspaper sold by the homeless, Illegal! allows vendors to sell the magazine on the streets with a substantial markup from its production cost—with a clear warning that the profits may end up being spent on fueling the seller’s drug habit.