Drugs are bad?

[BruuceWarduck]

straightedge

[GaliemVaelant]

Originally Posted by Hooby

I made this thread because I wanted to know how people feel about drugs, nearly all of these questions cater to the anti / borderline drug folks; specifically #2 and #3. That being said, I will try to make the questions somewhat independent and unique of eachother.

1) Do you think drugs should be legal or illegal, and why?

First, I think that people need to stop lumping all drugs into one category. Coffee is not the same as heroine, so no, a drug is not a drug.

Having said that, I think that some of the lighter substances could be legalized without the horrible doomsday scenario that those who allegedly hate all drugs pretend would happen. Making weed legal would have little to no effect on our society because the vast majority of those who would be smoking it regularly already do. This is simply because you've got to be a dipshit or be really, really unlucky to get caught smoking a joint or buying a bag.

Other drugs have medicinal applications that our government won't acknowledge because then politicians running for reelection would lose a popular campaigning tool. Consider our old drug czar's statements that there is no scientific evidence that weed gives people the munchies, or that there is no scientific evidence that MDMA has the effect of lowering emotional barriers.

In short, our government is full of shit. They want to be able to get votes from old people and moral elitists by having a hard stance on drugs, so they'll be lying to the population and pracicing bad science for a long time to come.

2) For those of you who don't do any illegal substances, would you try them if they were legal?

I've already done all the drugging that I care to do, so no, I probably wouldn't. Well, maybe I would smoke a joint while on vacation, but I wouldn't mess with anything regularly.

3) If you knew and respected a person, unaware that they used drugs a fair amount, would learning that they consumed drugs change your opinion of them as a person?

No, but depending on what drug it is, learning that might have no effect whatsoever, or it might make me be concerned for them. Who cares if someone smokes a joint once in awhile? If I find out that a friend is smoking crack or shooting up, though, then I'd have to urge them to get help, and I would try to avoid being in their company.

Once again, not all drugs are the same.

4) What event/medium influenced your opinion on drug use the most? The law, media, friends/family etc...

The law, personal experience, research in the National Library of Medicine, and observation of others when I lived in a very drugged out neighborhood.

5) Lastly, have you ever willfully tried any drugs? If so, which kinds and how often.

I was a major pothead back in the day. It has now been about a decade since. I've rolled (used MDMA, known as "ecstasy") a few times, with long (years) gaps between. I've tripped on acid a couple times, but hated the last experience that I had with it.

I am asking this because a lot of happening going on brought these questions up to me, I will answer in a seperate post to avoid confusion. Thanks to people who answer

No prob at all, man. Just be careful out there. Even fairly safe drugs can be very dangerous when you get them on the street, thanks to shit being added to them, or their being made by people who don't know what they're doing.

If you're thinking about trying some shit, then I highly recommend looking up stuff for yourself in the National Library of Medicine Database, and make sure that you are well educated on the substance before even touching it. Some shit out there actually is as bad as the government paints all drugs to be, and you don't want to fuck yourself up for life.

[Himeo]

Originally Posted by Hooby

1) Do you think drugs should be legal or illegal, and why?

I feel that drugs should be legal with certain restrictions. For example:
drugs in the home = no problem.
drugs + cars = illegal / automatic death penalty. Cop pulls you over, you get shot in the fucking head.

Same thing with alchohol.

2) For those of you who don't do any illegal substances, would you try them if they were legal?

No

3) If you knew and respected a person, unaware that they used drugs a fair amount, would learning that they consumed drugs change your opinion of them as a person?

Oppinion: no. Would I ever let them borrow money? No way in hell.

4) What event/medium influenced your opinion on drug use the most? The law, media, friends/family etc...

1) Getting rear ended twice by drunk drivers
2) Operah Winfrey

5) Lastly, have you ever willfully tried any drugs? If so, which kinds and how often.

No.

[GaliemVaelant]

Originally Posted by Kolle

1. Drugs should be legal
A: Certain drugs weren't made illegal until roughly 100 years ago. The reasons why they were made illegal were racist. This was primarily to screw over the asian immigrants with opium, the hispanic immigrants with cocaine, and the black population with pot.

I want to back up Kolle in this. The very first drug laws were against opium, and they were only created as a means of making asian immigrants less comfortable. They were created so that police could start detaining "Chinamen".

Marijuana was made schedule one for many reasons, and I've never heard two historians agree on a single cause. ALL of the reasons had to do with politics, and had nothing to do with the substance itself.

1) Hippies tended to use weed a lot, and they were highly motivated in regards to civil disobedience. Marijuana was not schedule one until the government realized that making it illegal would be an effective attack agaist the social structure of hippies. Thus the reason why moral elitists attack hippies to this day, and potheads are regularly slurred as hippies.

2) As Kolle mentioned, marijuana was very popular with blacks. The first marijuana law was the "Stamp Law," and it was a direct attack on blacks. The law said that it's legal to smoke weed, so long as you have a stamp for each ounce you posess. To posess weed without the stamp was illegal, but you had to bring an ounce of weed to a police officer at the post office in order to get the stamp.

3) Propaganda for drug laws have always involved painting a particular drug as evil, and its use as immoral. When marijuana was first made a schedule 1 drug (1972, I think), propaganda posters were printed that said you'd go to hell for smoking it. As a result of that style of propaganda, moralists and extreme right wing ultra-christians and conservatives among the citizens in this country have been a great help in painting anyone who uses weed as stupid, unmotivated, unemployed, immoral, etc.

Some famous people who used drugs regularly:

Freud (cocaine - fucked him up bad)
Einstein (weed - no bad affect)
Gauss (weed - no bad affect)
Shrodinger (weed - no bad affect)

These men are regarded still as being some of the greatest geniuses ever to live.

[Rune]

Whoah whoah whoah

sources for the physicist potheads kthx

[Faudron]

The first marijuana law was the "Stamp Law," and it was a direct attack on blacks.

Just for reference this (Marijuana Tax Act) went into effect in 1937.

[Luthair]

Originally Posted by Rune

Whoah whoah whoah

sources for the physicist potheads kthx

Its obvious, they couldn't goto space so they got spaced instead.

I'd say any heavily addictive substance with long term affects should not be legal (caffene can be kicked in a day if you chose) for the same reason most medical drugs can only be recieved with a proscription(sp). When they aren't heavily addictive they aren't any worse than alcohol and shouldn't have any affect on society.

I haven't done drugs nor would I do them regardless of their legal status (I'm Canadian so our laws are somewhat different), I also don't drink alcohol as I see no purpose.

[Rune]

Originally Posted by Luthair

Its obvious, they couldn't goto space so they got spaced instead.

I'd say any heavily addictive substance with long term affects should not be legal (caffene can be kicked in a day if you chose) for the same reason most medical drugs can only be recieved with a proscription(sp). When they aren't heavily addictive they aren't any worse than alcohol and shouldn't have any affect on society.

Seriously dude, you can kick heroin in a day too, but LIKE caffiene, there is withdrawal. When I tried to kick my coffee habit I had crippling headaches for a week.

NB: I am not trying to pretend caffiene is anything like heroin.

[Faudron]

Yeah depending on how much caffeine one drinks every day, it can be fairly difficult to quit, especially for people with low self discipline.

[Cathan]

Originally Posted by Kolle

Now, please explain to me why pot is worse than tobacco.

I'll take a stab at this one... Since pot is still illegal you don't know wtf is in it. I was offerred some shit a guy told me was laced with coc a long time ago. If the pot is just weed without any additives I'll agree with you that it isn't that big of a deal as long as no one is influencing you to do other drugs. That's the caveat to marijuana right now. If you smoke some weed you stand a pretty good shot at being around people that do worse and worse drugs, especially when you're young and new to it all.

[Nikkohung You]

Originally Posted by Cathan

I'll take a stab at this one... Since pot is still illegal you don't know wtf is in it. I was offerred some shit a guy told me was laced with coc a long time ago. If the pot is just weed without any additives I'll agree with you that it isn't that big of a deal as long as no one is influencing you to do other drugs. That's the caveat to marijuana right now. If you smoke some weed you stand a pretty good shot at being around people that do worse and worse drugs, especially when you're young and new to it all.

ive been smoking bud heavily for like 2 years, moving form like an 1/8 every now and then to a quarter a day with roomates. Never ever have any of us bought laced pot, thats such a rare fucking thing to happen. No one does it because it would cost them money to sell you bud laced with shit if they didnt tell you.

Also, if you drink with people, you could be drinking with alcoholics and that means you could become one.

[Blaezenfury]

they really need to legalize hemp.

hundereds of things can be made from it, much more efficiently than what we're useing now for clothes/oil etc..

however, the governments would be poor as fuck if we legalized drugs that would help our societies.

go go greed.

[Algrinon]

Originally Posted by Faudron

Yeah depending on how much caffeine one drinks every day, it can be fairly difficult to quit, especially for people with low self discipline.

I agree, and we see how many people have killed other people while drinking a Pepsi. Caffeine is not even in the same realm as pot or heroin.

[Blaezenfury]

pot has no ''addictive'' substance's what so ever, nothing at all.

pot with tobbaco, thats addictive.

caffeine is worse than pot.

[Algrinon]

Originally Posted by Blaezenfury

pot has no ''addictive'' substance's what so ever, nothing at all.

pot with tobbaco, thats addictive.

caffeine is worse than pot.

You Sir, are a fucking moron. But I am not telling you anything you did not already know. Personally, I could give a fuck less if your smoked yourself into oblivian. It is when I have to treat your ass at a hospital with my tax dollars that I get involved.

Pot is bad for you. Exhibit A and Exibit B are two sources I found. I learned this shit back in 10th grade. What the fuck do they teach these days in health class?

I am for not legalizing drugs only because inevitably I will have to take care of you via a emergency visit.