wcs@ho95e.UUCP (11/06/87)
In article <1196@puff.wisc.edu> mading@puff.wisc.edu (Eric Mading) writes:
:I admit to an occasional beer now and then, but I do not use any other drugs,
:except caffeine in soda and chocolate.
Bet you eat sugar, too; you'd be surprised how much effect it has.
Eric, you've just said it's ok for you to consume your favorite
mood-altering drugs but that people should be killed for selling mine.
Alcohol is a severely dangerous drug - $10 worth can kill you, and
moderate use can severely affect your behavior, leading to direct
violence and to the indirect violence of unsafe driving. But you like
it, and a lot of other people do, so it's ok for it to be legal.
On the other hand, you think marijuana should be illegal, and I should
be sent to jail to protect me from the dangers of smoking it, and
anyone who tries to sell evil drugs like this should be executed.*
The only difference between your drugs and mine** is popularity.
It's true that some drugs are more dangerous than others, but
that's really up to the user whose body will be affected.
Any drug can kill you, almost any drug can make you lose control if
you're the type who's prone to it. Eric, if you advocate legalizing
*any recreational drugs at all, including alcohol*, you're a real hypocrite
to say which ones it should be.
Of course, making alcohol illegal has been tried, and it failed;
the stuff was too popular. The major effect of that "Noble Experiment"
was to build up the Mafia; they've since moved on into other drugs,
which are still illegal and highly profitable. *They* have a
legitimate reason for wanting drugs to be illegal - it keeps the prices high.
On the subject of telling kids WHY to say no (brought up in one of your
articles) - yes, it's a good idea, but it will only help if you do so
honestly. Teenagers have an especially keen sense of when adults are
lying to them, and hypocrisy like "My drugs are ok and yours aren't"
only makes them less likely to believe you when you *are* right.
The reason "Reefer Madness" is so much fun is that it's pure,
unadulterated bullsh_t. If you tell kids that marijuana will turn them
into instant vegetables, when they've tried it and know it's not true,
why should they believe you when you say that crack can kill them?
Or when you tell them that society knows what's best for them?
Lies like this are stupid as well as immoral.
* Just to show I'm not being unfair, here's where you said it:
Message-ID: <1156@puff.wisc.edu>
The real goal of the War on Drugs should be to cut off the supply and stifle
the demand. The supply can be cut off if drug dealers are sentenced to the
death penalty if convicted. Obviously, no one can buy drugs if there are no
suppliers (drug dealers). If the death penalty was applied consistently, this
** Actually, my favorite recreational drugs are caffeine and the
occasional beer or brandy also. I find drunkenness unpleasant, so I
avoid it. The time or two I've tried marijuana, it was pretty nice.
Many of the deadheads out there talk about acid being safe, but I don't
trust the stuff, and won't try it. And downers sound *boring*.
But just because there are drugs I don't like, or even think it's
stupid and dangerous to use, doesn't mean I think they should be
illegal. If the Surgeon General wants to print a warning on every pack
of rolling papers, and require you to only smoke *outside*, that's ok.
But the decision should be my own.
------
Warning: The Surgeon General has determined that toking
can be hazardous to your health.
--
# Thanks;
# Bill Stewart, AT&T Bell Labs 2G218, Holmdel NJ 1-201-949-0705 ihnp4!ho95c!wcs