We go through periods of liberalization, and then it's opposite, as the ills of each regime become salient. For example, in the US, Oregon abandoned its legalization of hard-drugs, and I expect to see a national push to restrict and regulate cannabis more heavily, for example, regulating THC content more stringently, etc.
With so many things, finding the right balance takes trial and error, and what the right balance is may change as other variables change as well.