Angel of Ioren
Friendly Skeptic
Just say no.
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LSD: Acid tests
- Thread starter Christopher O'Brien
- Start date
Randall
J. Randall Murphy
Um well ... What's the point of legalizing the recreational use of anything dangerous then? Sports related injuries and activities are inherently far more dangerous than taking a toke.
There were more than 365,000 sports injuries in 1998 and the number keeps increasing. Baby boomers suffered more that 1 million sports injuries which cost over $18.7 billion Dollars in medical expenses in 1998. The highest numbers of sports-related injuries came from bicycling, basketball, baseball, and running. The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) reported over half a million injuries just for basketball. Another two million injuries were associated with bicycling, football, other sports. There are also regular deaths from sports participation.
Sports is expensive, dangerous recreational entertainment, so by you logic we should make it illegal too ... or does it make it OK in your view that because people do it without being mentally influenced by a mind altering substance that it's all OK? Let's examine that logic briefly. Apart from the fact that a huge amount of drugs goes into the treatment of sports related injuries, and there are illegal drugs and hormones being trafficed as well, the fact that a supposedly clear minded individual would think its wise to go perform these dangerous unecessary recreational acts makes no sense. At least the person who had one too many drinks can say his or her judgement was impaired!
So again, I point to the only really legitimate reason I can find for not doing drugs, and that is the social responsibility that we as individuals have not to support the thugs and violence of the drug-culture manufacturers and suppliers. If we put them out of business, then we can work toward regulations that will allow for legal, responsible use and clean products. And the best way to put them out of business is not to buy drugs.
j.r.
Ron Collins
Curiously Confused
Softball and basketball players don't tape up their ankles and then go on crime sprees to support their bat or ball habit. This is about the most ridiculous argument I have ever heard.
Wow. Do you actually believe that is even remotely possible. Really?
Angel of Ioren
Friendly Skeptic
So, to those that say sports are just as bad as drugs, what do you say about meth? Or about the addict that robs someone to support their habit?
The Pair of Cats
a.k.a Philip Deane
Meth is probably the most insidious of them all. The point here is people. Any drug or intoxicant or mind altering substance can be used safely and harmlessly if education, moderation and abstination are practiced by the user. Some people think that marijuana is a harmless recreational drug. Not necessarily so. Look into it. Read about it. Take notice of your surroundings. Not everybody who takes it reacts to it the same way, as has been said. But some of those who react badly to it end up becoming a burden on society as a result.
Most of them smoke it. So they end up in the same wards as the cigarette smokers. And because they probably smoke cigarettes as well, it just adds to their emphysema or other smoking related illnesses. Some end up in Psych wards or children's psych wards as may be the case.
To all those who are informed and knowledgeable about the drugs they take, be it prescription or recreational, and are moderate in their usage, well done. Then you have no problem and i salute you for your self regulation and restraint.
As for the war on drugs. There would be no war if people weren't buying them. The mafias only make money because there is a market for it. Every time someone buys a street deal they are contributing to this phoney war. To this extent i agree with softbeard.
The best way to get young rebellious humans to buy drugs is to tell them there is a war being waged against it. That'll get them buying the stuff by the truckloads. And with the law enforcement involved, they'll throw a few in jail, make it look good while all the while protecting and abetting the cartels who control the supply. Again, i agree with this assumption.
But I do not believe that making drugs government regulated will stop the problems that have reared their ugly heads in our society due to the availablility of these drugs.
Anyway i hope you guys feel safe and snug the next time you have to attend an emergency department on a friday or saturday night for any reason.
Most of them smoke it. So they end up in the same wards as the cigarette smokers. And because they probably smoke cigarettes as well, it just adds to their emphysema or other smoking related illnesses. Some end up in Psych wards or children's psych wards as may be the case.
To all those who are informed and knowledgeable about the drugs they take, be it prescription or recreational, and are moderate in their usage, well done. Then you have no problem and i salute you for your self regulation and restraint.
As for the war on drugs. There would be no war if people weren't buying them. The mafias only make money because there is a market for it. Every time someone buys a street deal they are contributing to this phoney war. To this extent i agree with softbeard.
The best way to get young rebellious humans to buy drugs is to tell them there is a war being waged against it. That'll get them buying the stuff by the truckloads. And with the law enforcement involved, they'll throw a few in jail, make it look good while all the while protecting and abetting the cartels who control the supply. Again, i agree with this assumption.
But I do not believe that making drugs government regulated will stop the problems that have reared their ugly heads in our society due to the availablility of these drugs.
Anyway i hope you guys feel safe and snug the next time you have to attend an emergency department on a friday or saturday night for any reason.
hak
Skilled Investigator
I say regulate mary jane.. but stop there... Though i do agree with Pair of Cats most people that smoke mary jane do so quite regularly. If it was legal, tons of people would NOT being going to jail. Stupid laws that ruin lives over marijuana would become obsolete.
I have a few friends who are regular smokers, and they are quite able to manage their lives just fine. One of them has the worst ADD you've ever seen and the marijuana is very helpful to calm him down and allow him to focus.
Yes people get addicted, but addiction (when it comes to soft drugs) tends to lend itself to personality flaws and self medicating.
Personally, i would never date a steady marijuana user.
An occasional recreational user is not a problem.
I have a few friends who are regular smokers, and they are quite able to manage their lives just fine. One of them has the worst ADD you've ever seen and the marijuana is very helpful to calm him down and allow him to focus.
Yes people get addicted, but addiction (when it comes to soft drugs) tends to lend itself to personality flaws and self medicating.
Personally, i would never date a steady marijuana user.
An occasional recreational user is not a problem.
boomerang
Paranormal Adept
What I see in most arguments here is the false assumption from which most pro/con debates about recreational drug use begin--that there is a one-size-fits-all journey through this crazy life that is guaranteed to be safe and productive. There isn't. I know, and know of, too many highly successful and well adjusted people who have not stayed strictly straight to buy this assumption.
All recreational activities are risky. Getting out of bed is risky. It's a matter of allowing the informed adult to decide which risks he or she wants to take. Neither individuals nor societies can be legislated to a state of perfection. It always comes back to a question of balance.
Life is painful, mysterious and fraught with risks. Its prognosis is terminal. Is meth more dangerous than 99% of other possible activities? A no brainer. Are contact sports more dangerous than cannabis? A no brainer too, in my opinion. Data suggests permanent brain injury from repeated head banging on the gridiron and in boxing. And frankly, I don't care. People are willingly choosing to participate and to watch. Enjoyment is produced and a purpose is served. Aggression is certainly more dangerous than pot. Although it is often more profitable.
So what if the unthinkable happened and we legalized only cannabis, on a trial basis? Guaranteed losers in this would be cartels, liquor manufacturers, and law enforcement's multi-billion dollar garage sales. Laws and repeal of laws can always be undone if necessary.
[rant over]
All recreational activities are risky. Getting out of bed is risky. It's a matter of allowing the informed adult to decide which risks he or she wants to take. Neither individuals nor societies can be legislated to a state of perfection. It always comes back to a question of balance.
Life is painful, mysterious and fraught with risks. Its prognosis is terminal. Is meth more dangerous than 99% of other possible activities? A no brainer. Are contact sports more dangerous than cannabis? A no brainer too, in my opinion. Data suggests permanent brain injury from repeated head banging on the gridiron and in boxing. And frankly, I don't care. People are willingly choosing to participate and to watch. Enjoyment is produced and a purpose is served. Aggression is certainly more dangerous than pot. Although it is often more profitable.
So what if the unthinkable happened and we legalized only cannabis, on a trial basis? Guaranteed losers in this would be cartels, liquor manufacturers, and law enforcement's multi-billion dollar garage sales. Laws and repeal of laws can always be undone if necessary.
[rant over]
desidragonfly
Skilled Investigator
I think they are testing that theory of legalizing cannabis in Colorado and California (and other states). They say you need a medical prescription but that is easily obtainable with cash.
I am all about the legalization of pot and know it is mostly harmless for the most part in comparison to alcohol with no real deaths related (accept the death of a munchies bag) but sometimes I wonder whether some of these small towns like in Colorado (where there are at least 2 dispensaries for a population of 200 people) are just facilitating in making a very passive culture.
From personal experience in the past, I know that getting high often creates a very lazy attitude and not much gets accomplished (but snacking). It is most effective as a thinking and mind expanding tool if used in moderation. You then get a lot of bang for doing the act minimally. The problem lies with people not being able to regulate themselves and living in a dumbed-down foggy state of mind because they partake too much. We are naturally an excessive culture and have to have everything "supersized".
In the future is pot is ever legalized I would hope there is some sort of way of regulating people's intake so they still remain a functional part of society. In this world today we need people active and willing to see through the junk that the NWO throws at us and we can't accomplish much stoned.
I advocate small doses. . . .
I am all about the legalization of pot and know it is mostly harmless for the most part in comparison to alcohol with no real deaths related (accept the death of a munchies bag) but sometimes I wonder whether some of these small towns like in Colorado (where there are at least 2 dispensaries for a population of 200 people) are just facilitating in making a very passive culture.
From personal experience in the past, I know that getting high often creates a very lazy attitude and not much gets accomplished (but snacking). It is most effective as a thinking and mind expanding tool if used in moderation. You then get a lot of bang for doing the act minimally. The problem lies with people not being able to regulate themselves and living in a dumbed-down foggy state of mind because they partake too much. We are naturally an excessive culture and have to have everything "supersized".
In the future is pot is ever legalized I would hope there is some sort of way of regulating people's intake so they still remain a functional part of society. In this world today we need people active and willing to see through the junk that the NWO throws at us and we can't accomplish much stoned.
I advocate small doses. . . .
Hotkafka
Sanity is a default
It's interesting to see how the introduction of a topic which revolved around re-instituting LSD research turned into a moral polemic about the pros and cons of drug use. Interesting. Western culture has it's head so far up its ass on this issue it's not even funny. In any case, I've done some research on this subject matter, particularly on its use in conjunction with psychotherapeutic techniques in the treatment of a range of personality disorders which have proven for the most part to be untreatable (maintenance measures only) and the data looks quite promising. Alternative methods of achieving alternative states of consciousness have been used and quite successfully so (see Dr. Stan Grof's Holotrophic Breathwork), however most whom had/have been active in this field of research admit these alternatives are nothing but a poor substitute for the benefits of the real thing.
fatbaddie
Paranormal Novice
I think all of us that have grown up in the city know a few friends that have become drug casualties along the way, set against a background of the majority of others who just stroll on regardless with whatever minor habit, and of course those who don't bother at all.
At least prohibition limits the casualties somewhat.
At least prohibition limits the casualties somewhat.