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The Forum > Article Comments > Stoned stupidity > Comments

Stoned stupidity : Comments

By Greg Barns, published 18/4/2007

The war against drugs is simply a scandalous waste of money, resources and lives.

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excellent article. reminds me of the chicken or the egg thing. yes ! alcohol is a drug, tobacco is a scourge. and ridiculuosly they both are legal. illegal drugs well they are a huge problem as well. the impact on users, associates, health system, justice systems are enormous. why do we continue as humans to source these "drugs"? why do we forsake our very exsistence for there high? why despite the carnage and evidence does this association betweeen drugs and us continue?. who knows. are these the questions we should be pondering. strangely enough if ALL drugs were removed, both legal and illegal i have a funny feeling most humans would implode OR explode. i could also imagine desperate chemical seeking humans sourcing plants and other goodies to replace their drug. intrisically something is missing. there is a void since the beginning of time, more prevelant in some than others that seems to be hungry for a fix. why? as an experiment try giving up your fix for a day..week..month...year. oh and by the way..adrenaline rushes are ok. have fun.
Posted by tricky, Thursday, 19 April 2007 7:19:37 AM
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tricky:

Drugs are just substances that facilitate a chemical reaction. Most of our lives are spent experiencing chemical reactions. In fact it could be argued that what makes life bearable and interesting is our chemical reactions, or our emotions. Rather than ‘forsaking our existence’, chemical reactions – some would argue – ARE our existence. Why do we long to fall in love? Why do some of us like watching horror movies? Why do we enjoy music?

The void is lack of experience. We fill it every minute of the day with chemical reactions, and we seek any number of things to facilitate that. Drugs are just one more. We – as humans – want to feel, and want to experience a broad range of those emotions and that experience.

I’ve seen a couple of comments here which focus entirely on the negative aspects of drug use. What these comments fail to understand is that the majority of drug users (putting aside legal and 'socially accepted' drugs for a second) lead happy, normal, productive lives with little to no side-effects. And yes I’ve seen both sides of the fence. There are dangers with using drugs. But most drug users aren’t addicts. It’s all very well to focus on the ‘carnage’ as evidence, but the overwhelming majority of evidence (first hand experience included) points to people who use drugs responsibly and benefit from their use.

Why are adrenalin rushes Ok? They can very easily lead to death, and quite often do! An addiction to adrenalin has seen plenty of people perform ridiculous feats and die as a result. Do you propose we ban adrenalin? Or extreme activities?
Posted by StabInTheDark, Thursday, 19 April 2007 10:51:01 AM
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stabinthedark...ido not propose banning anything. the search for "chemical reactions" goes on. no matter what the "drug". remove one and humans will find another. and so on and so forth.....
Posted by tricky, Thursday, 19 April 2007 12:48:16 PM
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'It always seems incredible to me that anyone would even want to try drugs...'

This is an attitude I find particularly baffling (and although I'm quoting snake, I'm referring more broadly to this commonly held attitude).

Almost every single person in the modern world uses drugs every day. More than 80% of us woke up this morning to caffeine, a substance moderate in strength but powerfully addictive. Around a quarter of us smoke. A strong majority of us will have ingested alcohol at least once by the end of the weekend. Many of us will have taken one of any number of different kinds of painkillers.

Just like 'illicit' drugs, excess of any of these substances can have damaging effects, physically and mentally. They are all addictive.

In moderation, however, all can provide something positive, something that can enhance ones physical and mental well being. Just like 'illicit' drugs.

If one wishes, they can do a blow by blow comparison of every commonly used substance, both legal and illegal, and rank each based on potential dangers, potential advantages and so on. But the result will be neither here nor there, for all are relative to the individual user in question, and to the external environment and social context in which they are taken. What’s good for one person may be devastating to another.

So contrary to popular belief, there is no line to be drawn between what is acceptable to take and what isn’t. Only the informed individual can decide what to put into their own body and what not to. Laws against what people choose to ingest are, by definition, indefensible in a free democratic society.

(We’ll take it as red that if they then infringe on another’s rights by driving dangerously or fighting or whatever, then the law should of course be involved.)

It's farcical how circular and biased the arguments are to justify prohibition of certain substances. No drug is harmless, correct, but to point this out is of no consequence, as the possibility of harm alone cannot justify the imposition of law.
Posted by spendocrat, Thursday, 19 April 2007 4:17:52 PM
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Great article Greg. I really believe people are beginning to understand the futility of prohibition and all the wasted costs, human and financial, that go with it.

Doing something about it is another thing of course. Elections generally prevent any change to this sort of law.

Re the "war on drugs", comedian Bill Hicks, a self confessed ex drug user, asked the question " If the war on drugs hasn't been won, doesn't that mean the drug users are winning?". He was right of course. They are.

He also pointed out that this "war" is actually a war against personal freedom, as are many laws.

Any human being will ignore the risks and law if they want to use a drug or do anything that gives them pleasure or relief.

I'm pleased to see so many supportive comments here on this topic.

There are of course the usual lunatic ones. Truth who blames the Australian government for the drug problem. Bit of a strecth there Truth. Drugs have been a problem since man first set foot on land mate. You say drugs are a vehicle for control. Ridiculous, people use them because it makes them feel good or gives them relief from the dreary life society allows.

Did it occur to you Truth that Jesus may have been a drug user himself? Research it mate, he drank wine for starters.

Stickman too displays ignorance in response to Citizen's statements. Citizen is spot on.

Love it Spendocrat. To extend that line of thinking imagine how a war would go if all soldiers in the field, all sides, were using marijuana daily. NO WAR right? They'd be too busy to fight.

VK3AUU too raises a very good point. Not all drugs are dangerous. The legal ones however are fatal, not only for the user. Explain that someone please!

StabInTheDark, just to clarify what you have written. Everything you think and feel is actually a chemical reaction's result. All our bodily functions are. Natural chemicals but so are many of the illicit ones.

A big round of applause for everyone who posted here.
Posted by RobbyH, Thursday, 19 April 2007 5:21:47 PM
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Well thanks very much Robby H. As the self-appointed arbiter of all that is ridiculous and sensible on these boards, maybe you could elaborate on how exactly it is that I have displayed 'ignorance' in pointing out the self-evident facts that:

1. Illegal or otherwise, heroin use is, in fact a health issue.
2. Marijuana is not a wholly benign substance
3. There have been high-profile arrests of cocaine users.

I would put it to you that citizen (and by association, you) displays utter ignorance (other than being unable to spell 'respiratory') of the reality of heroin by categorically stating "heroin of itself causes no health problems." Well wake up, it does. Decriminalisation may remove the desperation and crime from a junkie's day but it is hardly an ideal way to live. By all means make it safer through injecting rooms, consistent supply, clean needles and removing users from a criminal millieu but DON'T encourage it for heaven's sake, no one should be under any illusion that heroin dependence is in any way desirable.

None of the above is in defence of prohibition, merely the importance of educating people on the effects of drugs - please refer to my first post if you have too short an attention span - it is the second one on the thread.

Spendocrat: yes, very funny on testosterone but personally I don't think gynaecomastia would suit me (man-boobs) - maybe it is a look you would go for?
Posted by stickman, Thursday, 19 April 2007 6:06:00 PM
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