Saftey and Legalization of Drugs

[wise]

I loathe caffeine. It's a horrible stimulant, (meth)amphetamines are far superior. If you actually look up the medical journals and what the government has based their "scare tactics" on you would find that if you are healthy (as in your diet is good and you exercise), keep hydrated, take reasonable doses (ie 30mg orally) it's no more harmful than a night of drinking and to top it off the comedown is very minor if you don't redose and you take a sensible dose. Also no hangover ;D Contrary to what you may have heard, their addictiveness is not by any means uncontrollable or ridiculously strong urge given you have some self-control and are responsible.

Meth is a scourge in the US. I have little tolerance of the advocation of illegal drugs. I don't say much about people's opinions; they're entitled to them. Saying meth is less than the highly addictive substance that it is, is despicable.

Admin: If I'm out of line with this statement, delete it. Just had to say it.

[biased]

I loathe caffeine. It's a horrible stimulant, (meth)amphetamines are far superior. If you actually look up the medical journals and what the government has based their "scare tactics" on you would find that if you are healthy (as in your diet is good and you exercise), keep hydrated, take reasonable doses (ie 30mg orally) it's no more harmful than a night of drinking and to top it off the comedown is very minor if you don't redose and you take a sensible dose. Also no hangover ;D Contrary to what you may have heard, their addictiveness is not by any means uncontrollable or ridiculously strong urge given you have some self-control and are responsible.

Meth is a scourge in the US. I have little tolerance of the advocation of illegal drugs. I don't say much about people's opinions; they're entitled to them. Saying meth is less than the highly addictive substance that it is, is despicable.

Admin: If I'm out of line with this statement, delete it. Just had to say it.

What makes you say it is the "scourge" of the USA? A drug is neutral. If something can be abused gambling, sex, alcohol, meth, etc people are going to abuse it but we don't blame the gambling, sex, alcohol, etc. We blame the person except when it comes to amphetamines because they are so different, right? Do you believe it impossible to use methamphetamine in sensible amounts taken in moderation? What are you basing your "little tolerance" on? Are you aware of how much racism was the basis for the illegalization of these drugs?

I believe this quote presents a nice portrayal of how the "war on drugs" began, "Most marijuana smokers are Negroes, Hispanics, jazz musicians, and entertainers. Their satanic music is driven by marijuana, and marijuana smoking by white women makes them want to seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers, and others. It is a drug that causes insanity, criminality, and death -- the most violence-causing drug in the history of mankind."
- Henry Anslinger, The United States first "drug czar"

[Jezebel]

Share your thoughts on the safety and legalization of drugs here.



Sorry for the awkward thread start. This is a topic started from a thread split.

[anul]

I believe in personal responsibility and education to the general population. There may be some dangers in certain illegal substances and there are even more misconceptions about illegal drugs. It is my right to choose what I put in my body and no one else's. The drug scheduling in America is a joke and should be thrown out. The American government has Marijuana as a Schedule one substance which claims that it had no medicinal value, which is a joke.

Not to mention all of the tax dollars wasted on the War on Drugs, and maintaining the War on Drugs by keeping these people in jail.

[Guido]

Drugs generally tend to destroy people's brains/lives. The more illegal, the better.

[jeffersonian]

I support the legalization of marijuana. Frankly, I don't see any difference between it and alcohol, with the possible exception that it's safer.

In the end, though, I prefer my government to keep my "safe" by making missiles and training soldiers. I don't need anyone to regulate my recreational substances.

[bikerscars]

i do not use drugs...

my take on the matter is that the war on drugs is really a war on personal freedoms...

[StJimmy]

I believe in personal responsibility and education to the general population. There may be some dangers in certain illegal substances and there are even more misconceptions about illegal drugs. It is my right to choose what I put in my body and no one else's. The drug scheduling in America is a joke and should be thrown out. The American government has Marijuana as a Schedule one substance which claims that it had no medicinal value, which is a joke.

Not to mention all of the tax dollars wasted on the War on Drugs, and maintaining the War on Drugs by keeping these people in jail.

dead on. except for one thing. the industry built around housing thousands upon thousands of non-violent drug offenders is quite profitable for many companies and individuals. not to mention the countless legion of cop-type jobs it creates.

also i would like to note that while i think responsible and truthful education of children would solve a lot of problems over time, for now i think that some stuff is probably best kept illegal, for the health and safety of the multitudes of vulnerable individuals.

i've seen too many lives ruined, not just by getting busted, but just the effects of the drugs themselves... heroin, cocaine, meth... that shit'll kill you. but then again so will alcohol.

/shrug. i think our best hope for anything really, is for pot. we're seeing more and more grassroots (pun intended) decriminalization movements on the state and local level. i mean, if mississippi can do it....

and i swear if i hear one word about it being a "gateway" drug i'll flip my wig.

[biased]

and i swear if i hear one word about it being a "gateway" drug i'll flip my wig.


DEA forgot to mention that caffeine is the real gateway drug!

[StJimmy]

and i swear if i hear one word about it being a "gateway" drug i'll flip my wig.


DEA forgot to mention that caffeine is the real gateway drug!

:-X

[rwyatt365]

Drugs…(mount soapbox)

All drugs can't be lumped into the same basket. Some are very harmful (i.e. causing documented physical, or mental damage to the body), some cause psychological or emotional harm. All modify the body's chemistry in some way or another with debatable long-term effects to the individual. But so do a lot of other substances that are regularly (and legally) ingested by the population. As far as the safety of drugs is concerned, there is a spectrum of effects so any discussion about safety should first truthfully and rigorously categorize "drugs" relative to their harmful effects. Once that evaluation has been done then, and only then, can we have a rational discussion about drug safety. Unfortunately, that evaluation has not been (and probably will never be) done. So one side says, "Drugs can kill you so they're bad", and the other, "Drugs are helpful, so they're good", with no opportunity for a rational discussion.

Then we get into legality. It can be argued that "Drug A" is no more harmful than caffeine, alcohol or the anti-histamine that you took to clear up your runny nose so why is it illegal? As stated above, if you have no basis for an evaluation of "Drug A" then the argument cannot be reasonably defended or rejected. However, if there IS a basis for the evaluation then reason should prevail (yeah, right). The problem now is that the US government has too much "momentum" behind the anti-drug policy.

As biased points out, the current stance on drugs has it's roots in race-based sentiments against Orientals, Blacks, and Hispanics. Today's policies are rooted in racism and an attempt of the establishment to maintain racial purity and a strict moral code. Of course now the focus has shifted to "keeping the peace" against the lawless dope-fiends and their terrorist-based suppliers. But look "beneath the covers" and you'll see that dope users have been (effectively) relegated to being a new "minority" (aka; "dope-fiends", "crackheads", "pot-heads", "meth-freaks", etc…) and dope dealers are the new foreign menace.

The bottom line is that none of this is based on rational thinking. It's all fear-based, reactionary bullshit! Somewhere there is a foundation for all of this and I think the axiom "Follow the money" applies. Who is benefiting from this madness? I'm sure that there are any number of conspiracy theories about this (none of which I subscribe to, necessarily). As much as I'm convinced of the beginnings of the current drug policy, I can't believe that misplaced racial prejudice would sustain such an untenable policy for so long.

No, there is another reason for the continuance of this foolishness. I don't know what it is, but I'm sure it has to do with money and power.

(dismount soapbox)

[thegnat]

I'm honestly not sure where to stand on this issue.

On the one hand I see the drugs are bad! point of view. And the "drugs are bad" applies to hmm alcohol, marijuana, stimulants, narcotics and generally abused drugs. The kind you learn about in DARE (Druge Abuse and Resistance Education) classes.

On yet the other hand - there are the prescription drugs. Yay! Drugs can make you feel better! If you're depressed pop a pill! If you're sick, pop another! If you think you'll get sick, pop yet another! and so on and so forth... (this is generally not my viewpoint)

On yet another (foot?) Of course along with prescription drugs you get the prescription drugs you get the prescription drugs that make people's lives better. Or else their life would be a lot more hindered or a lot worse or they could die a lot earlier.

And I suppose on the final limb (foot) - you get abuse of prescription drugs. People using ADHD drugs to study better, people becoming dependent on sleep aids, etc, etc as in "the yet the other hand" - those can be abused. And bought and sold illegally of course.

I'm generally of the thought that - drugs are bad in general and horrible if abused. You shouldn't take them unless you absolutely have to. Hell, you shouldn't want to have to deal with all the shit of taking medications if you can't help it. Then you get into drug interactions and shit too. I'm also of the thought that all drugs alter your chemistry no matter what. Which, in general, is a bad thing. Unless you really do need it. And of course some people really do need it and it is a necessity. Even then it doesn't solve *all* the person's issues who's taking the medication. Drugs aren't magic. They can help though. I think some people think drugs are magic. Which is really unfortunate.

And I really don't know what making some of the "really bad drugs" (I put it in quotes because it's dependent on point of view) illegal will do. Or how it will affect the community. Will use really go down? If someone is addicted to it, will they stop because it's illegal? Probably not because of their addiction. Will more people start because it's legal? Who knows? I think that really depends on the person. And who does start using anyway? Then we may be able to figure out if more people will or won't start using it because of legality. And then if x drug is illegal and some prescription drug has the same effect as that drug, should the prescription become illegal, too? I'm not saying there's a case of that....just....I dunno....

Yeah I really don't know on this issue...Sorry for the kind of ramble there...

[ciphersort]

What I put in my body is no business of any government if it can't be shown that the substance is inherently harmful to others through my personal use.

[wise]

What I put in my body is no business of any government if it can't be shown that the substance is inherently harmful to others through my personal use.

As long as there are laws regulating drugs, it is the government's business what you put in your body.

You can disagree with drugs being illegal. That's fine. You can't disagree with the fact that they're illegal.

[iamnotspock]

Legalize it, run the violent dealers out of business, control the quality of the product, recapture the tax revenue, and offset the negative social externality with a tax to fund positive social programs. You know, exactly what we did with tobacco . . .

[Blendy]

Posted by: iamnotspock Posted on: Today at 9:44pm
Legalize it, run the violent dealers out of business, control the quality of the product, recapture the tax revenue, and offset the negative social externality with a tax to fund positive social programs. You know, exactly what we did with tobacco . . .


AGREED- and legalize prostitution while you're at it.

[vulcan]

Drugs generally tend to destroy people's brains/lives. The more illegal, the better.

Laws don't work. Legalize, tax, use funds for rehabilitation.

If we have this big of a problem and the hardcore shit is illegal, then at least we can face our problem honestly when it's legal.

[OneBadMother]

That's the way I figure. We should do things more like the Netherlands. <_<