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YAY! TODAY SUCKED!!!
danny_galaga:
just to clarify something. my examples are extreme ones to show how people can go to extremes to kill the pain. im not suggesting floyd or others here have had such a bad childhood. in fact, the fact that you're all here chatting on a 'geeky' forum shows you are probably not having any on-going problems with drugs.
floyd is young. kids experiment (except for me, i still feel like i missed out!). most kids that experiment have a fairly normal life. problems with drugs arise when there are problems with your life. fix those social problems and you will have very few drug problems...
one other clarification. i DO believe governments should go after the 'mr bigs' of the drug world. but they will only need to do that until societies problems are addressed. take away the demand, and the suppliers will fade away too. well, go back to raqueteering anyway ;)
locash:
--- Quote from: DrewKaree on November 16, 2004, 07:37:41 pm ---
--- Quote from: locash on November 16, 2004, 01:28:30 pm ---However, it is not the job of government to tell people they can't do these things if they choose. Government should not be some sort of surrogate parent telling people how to live their lives.
--- End quote ---
man that sounds good. Wait, do you mean a parent like as in "dad, can I borrow 5(hundred dollars)? Or the kind of parent as in "son, you can't buy that gun, because I don't want you to have it".
Is that one of those "gray areas" I've heard about?
--- End quote ---
Neither of those is an acceptable role for government.
Which of those choices sounded good to you?
DrewKaree:
--- Quote from: Crazy Cooter on November 16, 2004, 10:22:35 pm ---"I know people who have gotten hooked on ritalin from ppl who sell it in our school"
Is that stuff even addictive? It wasn't around (that I know of) when I was in school.
--- End quote ---
Its effects are night and day depending on the type of person you are.
If you are the type who is "hyper", for lack of a better word, then it serves to "slow things down" and calm/settle that person down.
If you are the calm type, it is an upper.
Dunno why the drug works like that, but if you know someone who has it, read the side effects for some crazy juxtapositions - my daughter requires it, without it, she's so scatterbrained, hyper, and short-tempered it's like living with 5 women with PMS and no Midol in the house.
DrewKaree:
--- Quote from: locash on November 16, 2004, 11:19:15 pm ---Neither of those is an acceptable role for government.
Which of those choices sounded good to you?
--- End quote ---
Neither choice is acceptable to me, but society has made those two choices our government's responsibility. I'm all for working those things out first, then worry about this "little stuff" second.
I'm a big fan of prioritization by the government. I also realize there's a slim to none possibility that it will ever happen.
teef two:
I've seen the example of the Netherlands used a lot here and I'd just like to point out that an awful lot of the rising crime there is not due to the liberal drugs policy but more to do with the liberal immigration policy. Right now there is an awful lot of racial tension in Holland. Just said this to put some perspective on it.
Oh, and a minor rant here. I always see in these kind of discussions the example of "Well, you shouldn't want drugs legalised because the surgeon performing your operation might be stoned". Utter nonsense. The surgeon could quite as easily be drunk. Neither is acceptable.
What it all boils down to is self-control. If you can teach that to society then you go an awful long way to stopping the drugs problem. I like a drink, I also like an occasional smoke. I couldn't do either all the time and continue to contribute to society. So I don't. 99% of the time I prefer to be straight. Every now and then I like to get a little bit drunk - because I find it enjoyable. The same goes for a smoke. Frankly if I did either all the time then I would cease to enjoy it completely.
I can see the reasons for both sides of the argument but one thing I cannot stand in the sanctimonious attitude that I must be an evil person because of my "so called" vices. It's the same attitude that says "If you're not my religion then you must be an unfulfilled person".
However, whatever the arguments for and against, one thing is irrefutable. Drugs have been available to humanity for a very, very long time. People have done drugs, people are doing drugs, people will continue doing drugs. There is no possible way that will ever, ever stop. You can't stop it, you sure as hell can't control it without losing a grip on so much else that is more important. So the only posible way forward is to educate in the effects and downsides of extended abuse of drugs. Anything else, regardless of the legislature of your particular Government, is just pi**ing in the wind.
Rant over for the day.