Tuesday, August 09, 2005
Truthful Tierney: NYTimes Op-Ed columnist John Tierney gets on his libertarian horse and comes out against the drug war. Key quote: (emp add) Today we tolerate alcohol, even though it causes far more harm than illegal drugs, because we realize a ban would be futile, create more problems than it cured and deprive too many people of something they value. Boy, does it ever. Alcohol consumption can lead to aggressiveness and violence. It is a chemical that does serious damage to the liver and the brain. It impairs thinking and judgment more than most drugs. Yet it's legal. What would the world be like if, for instance, marijuana was the legal recreational drug of choice instead of alcohol? Except for a surfeit of black-light posters and lava lamps, the world would be better off.
posted by Quiddity at 8/09/2005 08:02:00 AM
7 comments
Yeah well, we have Hearst to thank for Marijuana being illegal.
In September my cousin tried reefer for the very first time.
Now he's doing horse. It's June.
-----------
Legalize it all, across the board. Black Tar, little yellow crank rocks, mescaline buttons, whatever. Nobody has ever been able to show me where in the Federal Constitution the government's power to prevent citizens from doing stupid things to themselves is explicitly outlined.
Below you will find a dark room in which one liberal and one conservative are sharing their rhetorical convictions on this topic:
"I think the government should be in the business of keeping people from putting certain chemicals into their bodies of their own free will."
"So do I!"
Who is who?
Ever try to teach a 7th grade student math when he comes to class stoned? I have. It's no easy task, my friends.
Goatboy and E. Nonee Moose: If you like the War on Drugs so much, have them arrested! Rush Limbaugh himself has talked at length about how people who use illegal drugs are weak and should face the consequences.
VKW
I'm not saying I "like" the war on drugs... If I had thought having the kid arrested would have been the answer then maybe I would have involved police. But regardless, our society has a systemic drug problem and I include both legal and illegal drugs when I say that. The war on drugs is a failure? Ok, then what should we do/can we do instead to curb America's dependence on drugs?
Moose: Kids on Drugs is a Bad situation. What is the school policy? Do you have options in terms of your response? Will the faculty support what action you take?
In terms of America and drugs, there is no solution. People have taken, do take, and will continue to take drugs. The best we can hope for is to come up with better approaches to the problems. However, since the 60s, politicians who push the 'lock 'em up and throw away the key' philosophy have won elections. People who suggest that we might need to look at making treatment more available or affordable, or taking a 'harm reduction' approach, are denounced as 'soft on crime'!
One thing I would like to suggest: Celebrities caught using drugs go to jail, the same as the rest of us would. No special treatment, even if they are rich, even if they are very good at sports or music. Kids might think a little differently about drugs if some of their heroes actually got a slap on the wrist.
VKW
Anonymous, you read me all wrong.
E. Nonee Moose: educate them honestly. The DARE and PforaDFA bullshit is easily detected, even by (especially by?) children. Unfortunately, truly honest education about some drugs would not make them nearly as unattractive as the lies try to. Marijuana? Well kids, it's cheaper than drinking and can't kill you if you don't smoke it. Psychedelics? Unless you have a preexisting neurosis or psychosis and don't try to use them every other day they can be a lot of fun and won't hurt you.
But would that be a fair tade for truly honest education about the other drugs? Alcohol, cocaine, meth and opiates? Students, today we have an assembly and you're going to hear stories from a black tar junkie, a rotten toothed emaciated homeless tweaker, a jumpy belligerent cokehead working his jaw and a yellow bloated divorced wetbrain.
Truly honest education also includes letting kids know the dirty secret (they already know it but we act like they don't:) drugs make you feel good. If we can cede this ground we can let them know the formula I heard best elucidated by George Carlin; the first time you use gives extreme pleasure with very little pain but as you continue to use the pleasure decreases and pain increases until there's very little of the former and far too much of the latter. Level with these kids and treat with them in good faith, that includes honest objective percentages of population that may tend to become addicted to each substance.
Truly honest education would also have to include prescription drugs as more than an afterthought or aside...but now I'm firmly in fantasy land.
Couldn't help but be more effective than the current law enforcement method and a far sight cheaper. But look on the bright side, when the depression comes we can all get free lodging and meals just by making sure a police officer sees us in possession!
And Moose, somebody needs to sit your seventh grade math student down and express the concept of appropriateness. Only a loser or entertainer should be expected to show up for work under the influence.
|
