You haven't explained how making it legal is supposed to encourage the illegal things. The reality is that legal markets to a far better job of separating permitted and prohibited transactions than illegal ones do.Again, my problem with legalized prostitution is that it doesn’t satisfy the demand and in fact creates a demand for illegal stuff—too young, or to take risks that no one should have to take: sex without a condom and threats of violence which still exist even with legalization, and wage theft that can amount to slavery.
I know that is not what you are advocating. I’m just saying that it doesn’t remove the problems associated with criminalized sex work ( minus being arrested for prostitution). I’m certain there are sex workers who do not suffer these harms but many do, even in legalized settings.
You buy your weed from the dispensary I passed today, you get carded. You buy it from the illegal dealer, you don't. You go to the brothel one county over, you know they are of legal age. You pick up a streetwalker, you have no way to verify age.