Drugs: How can we fix them?

[toastedamphibian]

Drugged up theives, bandits, courtesans and other criminally inclined individuals should make sense in setting, and are even alluded to in the descriptions of the drugs themselves, but are completely unfeasible mechanically. Example: Harlot Sweets

"These amber-colored lozenges instill within the user a slightly increased agility and enhance both physical beauty and speech. So named for the fact that prostitutes often abuse the drug, harlot sweets are gaining popularity among certain circles in the aristocracy as well."

"Companion (5 cp–10 gp/evening): Whether a brazen strumpet, gigolo, saucy tart, escort, or expensive doxy, this person is available for an adventurer who needs intimacy. An hour’s diversion typically costs a few silver pieces plus the price of a room."

How on earth is that supposed to work? One dose of the drug is twelve times the nightly income of the most well payed prostitutes. How are they, as a whole, possibly able to "often abuse them"?

Surely their customers are not providing it, as one hours worth of drug is more than the cost of 2 household slaves.

Any suggestions on how to make this work? As it stands the cost alone makes them prohibitively expensive for wealthy adventures, much less common people.

[Daw]

The problem is the Adventurer Economy.
It has been that way from the beginning, but is so much worse in Pathfinder.
Most won't like it, but you can make it work to a point by assuming that adventurers are the biggest marks on the planet, paying 10 to 100 times what normal, less dangerous to have around people pay.

[Inlaa]

Don't do drugs, kids.

[Darigaaz the Igniter]

Daw wrote:

The problem is the Adventurer Economy.

It has been that way from the beginning, but is so much worse in Pathfinder.
Most won't like it, but you can make it work to a point by assuming that adventurers are the biggest marks on the planet, paying 10 to 100 times what normal, less dangerous to have around people pay.

There might be other forces at work, as well.