Should be highly regulated and legal, just like all drugs. That will make it relatively safe, but not absolutely so (as there is no way to measure exactly what would drive women into prostitution: exploitation, desperation, etc., and no way to guarantee saftety for all). But the legal brothels in Nevada do provide some amount of protection from both violence and disease, far more than the independent hooker on the street. The fact that time/money is wasted arresting prostitutes and/or their johns is a huge waste resources, just like arresting a 17 year-old for carrying a small amount of pot or coke. In these days of limited government budgets, you can't have it all: you can't uphold laws against drugs and prostitution, and then slash budgets. You either need to rethink some of your laws (which are mostly driven by morals, not common sense), or you need to increase law enforcement budgets. Unironically, in this age, the same politicians who claim to be tough on crime are usually the ones slashing the budgets.