Why do I have to be a Slave Trading Drug Dealer in R17?

I started with A16, so total noob, but in A16 I discovered the joys of the Amish way.

I would harvest trees, make fine wood stools, chairs and beds to sell to every caravan that came by. As my sturdy and well built furniture spread across the land some settlers would come to join our furniture shop on their own to learn the art of furniture making. Other groups, jealous of our woody ways, would attack our shop. The survivors of their ill conceived attacks would be well cared for in luxuriantly furnished accommodations. While recovering from their wounds, we would preach to them out of the Manual of Jointery in the hope they would see the grain and would join our shop willingly. Those who refused the allure of the luster of well polished wood would be set free to tell the tale of their fair treatment and the beauty of their accommodations. Those that choose to stray were rewarded with room full of master crafted furniture and a job helping out to the best of their abilities.

Money was plentiful from the sale of massive shipments of furniture and the land was full of pine forests lovingly cared for...

In A17 few settlers come and most survivors of attacks on my settlement have more than a 95% resistance to joining. well made furniture has little effect on mood and very low value to others.

So, now I plant fields of poppies and weed and spend my time making drugs. With these drugs I travel to other settlements to trade for slaves to join my sweat shop. More slaves mean more drugs and survivors of attacks on my camp are lucky if I bother to put them out of their misery instead of just leaving them to bleed out where they fell and let the dogs feed on them.

A17 has taken a dark turn. Settlements once filled with hope and promise are now dark, dreary places filled with stoned slaves toiling to spread the addiction.

Maybe a different rebalance that does not reward such behavior is in order?

Still a very fun game that keeps challenging my optimising nature and you have me hooked. But the optimal path I am finding in A17 is grim and tells a dark story. It is not that I am morally opposed to playing a darker story, but is this darker path intended?

I would prefer going back to boosting morale with furniture that also has enough worth to avoid having to use drugs as the least costly method of producing value in terms of labor/resources/happiness and useful skills learned.