Drugs and other intoxicants

[elcid]

What are you views on drugs and/or alcohol?

I find no problem with using drugs recreationally, as long as they don't become a lifestyle. It's something that can be very eye-opening and very inspirational. I certainly don't believe that drugs should be used as a crutch or an escape tool, that is the quickest way for them to be abused.

To me there is a very real separation between types of drugs. I've used weed, shrooms and even ambien and all of these have simply been something that have given me a different view of the world for a matter of hours. They are not addictive from my experience. I think people are too quick to condemn them, but really they are just an experience that can be tried, like sky-diving or water-skiing. Moderation is the key, and if any of these take over your life, the consequences are negative.

It should be a personal choice to experiment with drugs. Of course heroin, meth, crack, cocaine, etc are different entirely and have very addictive and destructive tendencies and are of a different matter entirely, in my opinion. But even in these cases, I believe possession should be decriminalized. Drug dealers should face hard time but for simply possessing, prison is not key.

That's just my opinion

[Liv the Librarian]

I completely agree with you. Though, I don't believe that possession of heroin, meth, crack, and cocaine should be decriminalized. They have severe health risks involved.

I do believe acid, shrooms, MDMA, and marijuana should be decriminalized though. Marijuana well on it's way, thankfully. I look forward to the day where people don't have to be tested for marijuana to get a job.

[raoh]

I've been clean my whole life and I strongly dislike the idea of pleasure or relaxation being so easily manipulated in people by chemicals or drugs. Still looking back at history, lots of this issues with this feels like a repeat of prohibition.

Decriminalizing would also be a hefty blow to gangs and cartels wheeling and dealing this stuff, hurting their economics, reducing drug related violence, at just the expense of tolerating some idiots who do it in inappropriate places wouldn't be a bad trade.

[SellennaeAlara]

I think that it really all depends on the drug. I am for the legalization of weed; I have smoked it before and I am not a personal fan of it. I have no interest in doing it again; I am ADHD and it slowed me down like a sloth; that drove me nuts. can you imagine being in slow motion and nuts? IT NEVER ENDS.

But I find nothing wrong with weed; that's just how it effects me and i prefer more ADHD. I also did some other things, I don't remember the name, they where not banned at the time; but IL did do a blanket ban making the ones made and any to be made illegal; it was a synthetic weed I think. Now that stuff I liked.

Shrooms and ACID I am not as familiar with. I know when done in excess they can kill you. But I have thought about trying them.


Man made chemical drugs; out right against it; even some 'prescription drugs' I am. Like myth, heroin, cocaine; talk about life destroying. Prescription my beef is main with things like oxy codeine; I once new a woman who had serious back problems from working with the elder with a nursing degree, she hurt her back lifting and moving them and then had a large chest and got a reduction done; then they botched that (she should have sued). then her normal doctor started her on oxy and when she would run out she would go in a few days to a week later and tel him all the 'pain' she was in and he would give her more; after a few months of this he would UP her prescription in strength. Well the poor woman was not in pain; she was in freaking withdraw because it is an addictive drug and the doctor perpusly, intentionally kept her hooked on it and allowed her to mix it with muscle relaxers that where also addictive. This story did nto have a happy ending of her dieing around the age of 40 on an over overdose. She did mix other drugs in as well and with alcohol. Once her Doctor turned her into an addict; she lost most of her better judgment.

[Liv the Librarian]

Jun 13, 2014 10:40:37 GMT -6 raoh said:

I've been clean my whole life and I strongly dislike the idea of pleasure or relaxation being so easily manipulated in people by chemicals or drugs. Still looking back at history, lots of this issues with this feels like a repeat of prohibition.

Decriminalizing would also be a hefty blow to gangs and cartels wheeling and dealing this stuff, hurting their economics, reducing drug related violence, at just the expense of tolerating some idiots who do it in inappropriate places wouldn't be a bad trade.

I won't lie and say I've been clean my whole life. I tried acid once, it was fun but it wasn't for me. I smoke weed on an off and on basis. I don't do it too often because it makes me tweak out, but I do it often enough that I can speak about what it really does to a person vs what the media says about it. Also, most of my friends/family are pretty chronic smokers and they all function as successful parts of society. I can also speak to MDMA and what it does, not only for recreational purposes, but of the value that it has in therapy. Scientists and psychologists are currently looking at the effect that MDMA has on autistic people, and are considering using it for therapy for people with autism. It was also used as therapy for people during the Vietnam war, but that's not publicized very well.

What is most unfortunate to me is that people group drugs into one big group when it's not like that. I've tried acid but I'll never do shrooms (nor will I do acid ever again). I have done MDMA, but I'd never EVER in my entire life try cocaine or crack. I won't touch downers either, they aren't good for people with bipolar disorder.

I just find it hard to believe that something as obviously harmful as alcohol is legal, but a drug like weed that does nothing but make you chill out a tad (or help you eat/sleep, both of those things I've needed help with at times) is illegal.

[SellennaeAlara]

What is MDMA? I looked it up on wiki and it was over my head......


I know people with bipolar who actually use weed to medicate and it works great for them. I have also heard that they are looking into a lot of other medical uses for weed with cancer and some other things. Not sure if there is anything definitive yet or not.

My dad smoked weed a good chunk of my life and is fine. my father is an addict and will admit it; very addictive personality, but that is not because weed is addictive, he is an addictive personality.

As a hippie he and my aunts did a lot of stuff; I know they did Acid and shroom's; he has told me a few others but I cannot think of their names.


Most fun I ever had was the synthetic pot at acen with my ex; but I stopped that once it was outlawed. Even if its not dangerous; I can't risk losing my job over it.

[Midnattblod]

I agree with Liv that it's stupid that everything is grouped together all with one word. There are drugs and there are not drugs. but just because something has an effect on the human brain or whatever else it is labeled a drug. why is weed illegal and cigarettes aren't. I smoke both, weed only from time to time cause I don't need to have it all the time and it gets expensive quick. this is one thing I've never understood about any of the legal ages and the way the US enforces these ages as hard as they do. like the drinking age. you're old enough to 'vote' for the next president, and risk your life to defend the country but your not old enough to have a beer at a bar with some friends. makes no sense. plus it's one of those things that has proven to a degree that it helps regain economic stability. when California legalized medicinal marijuana, they got stable as a state economically.

[Crouton]

I've always been confused by drug laws. For example, I don't understand why something like weed is illegal, when it never actually kills anyone or harms them greatly, yet normal tobaccoo cigarettes are legal when they kill millions of people worldwide each year. This I never understood. I'm a huge anti-smoker and HATE smoking. I often wonder why it is allowed at all. But a part of me wonders if it's a Government conspiracy to keep the population down. Every single year millions of people are basically committing suicide by smoking, they die from all different reasons. I've known two who have gone from smoking-related lung cancer. Maybe the reason Governments allow smoking is that in a small way it keeps the population down.

[Liv the Librarian]

Jun 14, 2014 17:44:17 GMT -6 Crouton said:

I've always been confused by drug laws. For example, I don't understand why something like weed is illegal, when it never actually kills anyone or harms them greatly, yet normal tobaccoo cigarettes are legal when they kill millions of people worldwide each year. This I never understood. I'm a huge anti-smoker and HATE smoking. I often wonder why it is allowed at all. But a part of me wonders if it's a Government conspiracy to keep the population down. Every single year millions of people are basically committing suicide by smoking, they die from all different reasons. I've known two who have gone from smoking-related lung cancer. Maybe the reason Governments allow smoking is that in a small way it keeps the population down.

I think it's a government conspiracy to keep taxes low for the rich. The money they make off of taxes from cigarettes here in the US is disgusting. I also think that it's such a HUGE revenue for the government that if they made cigarettes illegal, it'd cause all sorts of economic troubles. That doesn't mean I'm saying they should be legal, but it's a bad argument to say that things like MDMA and marijuana, which BOTH have proven medical benefits (one for mental health and one for physical health) are harmful and that's why they're not legal when you've cigarettes and alcohol both being legal and BOTH of them kill thousands of people yearly.

[Crouton]

Hmm, I always heard opposite. Well, maybe it's different here, but the Government does make money on taxes, that's for sure, but I always heard it caused more tax problems. I watched a documentary once about how smoking and drinking were causing tax payers millions of dollars each year due to hospital care. Like, the emergency rooms and hospital beds are always filled up with people who were sick from smoking or who were injured/sick from drinking and costing the country millions of dollars in health care.

[Liv the Librarian]

I didn't actually think of it that way, so you might be right. Though, your taxes are much higher in the AUS than they are here, and our systems on healthcare are completely different as well, so we probably make more money off of it than you do. The government benefits greatly from people being sick in the US, as do the insurance companies and other corporations.

[Crouton]

Yeah in Aus we have Universal free health care, or at least we did till Abbott started fucking things up, so the taxpayers are usually directly hit by medical costs. It was a good system, but it still sucks when such a HUGE percentage of medical costs are going towards idiots who smoked and drank and bought this infliction onto themselves, rather than just people who actually got diseases and stuff and couldn't help it.

[Liv the Librarian]

I wish we had universal healthcare, instead, no one benefits here, not even the drug abusers, smokers, or alcoholics. Thanks to Obama though, I was able to apply for a medical card (without being a single mother.. about time) and was approved, so I know have government sponsored health insurance. Yay

[SellennaeAlara]

I am pro government funded health care; I am anti Obamacare *ahem*


however yes; they make a huge amount of taxes off of the Tabasco industry and sales.

Alcohol was illegal because they could not tax the making of moonshine; replied once they where able to control it via the government; the making of moonshine however remains illegal.


Same for weed; even my mother who is anti weed says half the reason it is illegal is because the government cannot control and regulated it and the sale of it to profit from it.

Right now we make the money off of allowing illegal drugs up from Mexico and then busting it and of course all of the propaganda about how 'bad weed is' makes them money.


I actually watched the first anti weed video ever made with my dad; it was pathetic, horrible and SO SO So utterly wrong....... There are simply no words.

[raoh]

I can't wait for ten years to pass. Weak drugs will probably be legalized, they will be better regulated ensuring less public incidents, and we'll have automaton cars that ready to pick people up at bars or at clubs if they get heady.