Re: What do you think about taking drugs recreationally?
Original Question:
Shorter Answer:
It's up to the user to choose what they prefer to do for recreation. The law simply attempts to enforce rules according to its presumed position of elevated authority on promoting the greater good of the collective.
Longer Answer:
Of course, those rules are often circumventable. Sometimes quite easily, when considering the availability of some illegal drugs. In that case, people whose choices for recreation that involve illegal drugs are not hindered much.
Except of course, if they get caught. And punished. That's when things suddenly become problematic, with an explosion of anger and hate. Though usually it seems, not before such events, as people are simply riding the stories of others.
I do not know of a good way to determine the legality of drugs. Many people make claims about how drug use will increase or decrease upon changes in legality, but those claims tend to be mostly unfounded. The only big example that I think may be worth analyzing and learning from was the prohibition movement, but that was such a unique situation that it may be difficult to apply to present-day drug issues.
What I do know though, is that current laws are inconsistent. I looked up leading causes of death in the United States for the year 2000 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, and was pleasantly unsurprised. The leading causes:
What do you think about taking drugs recreationally? Do you think it makes sense the way the law distinguishes between legal drugs and illegal drugs or should it be different?
Shorter Answer:
It's up to the user to choose what they prefer to do for recreation. The law simply attempts to enforce rules according to its presumed position of elevated authority on promoting the greater good of the collective.
Longer Answer:
Of course, those rules are often circumventable. Sometimes quite easily, when considering the availability of some illegal drugs. In that case, people whose choices for recreation that involve illegal drugs are not hindered much.
Except of course, if they get caught. And punished. That's when things suddenly become problematic, with an explosion of anger and hate. Though usually it seems, not before such events, as people are simply riding the stories of others.
I do not know of a good way to determine the legality of drugs. Many people make claims about how drug use will increase or decrease upon changes in legality, but those claims tend to be mostly unfounded. The only big example that I think may be worth analyzing and learning from was the prohibition movement, but that was such a unique situation that it may be difficult to apply to present-day drug issues.
What I do know though, is that current laws are inconsistent. I looked up leading causes of death in the United States for the year 2000 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, and was pleasantly unsurprised. The leading causes:
- Tobacco (435,000 deaths; 18.1% of total US deaths)
- Poor diet and physical inactivity (400,000 deaths; 16.6%)
- Alcohol consumption (85,000 deaths; 3.5%) - This includes alcohol-related vehicle deaths.
... 9. Illicit use of drugs (17,000 deaths; 0.7%)
Are those figures the good work of the law? Would they be worse or differently distributed if the present set of laws were not in place? Somehow, I am skeptical. I think everyone is. But that is the effect of historical establishment of a drug, and of course big money corporations.
I am very interested in any suggestions anyone might have for a system that will confidently work better than the one currently in place. Please think on this and discuss any worthwhile conclusions.
Source article:
posted by Ted Miin at 10/27/2006 02:53:00 PM
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