- Apr 2, 2012
- 121
- 60
- 61
not sure if i should be bumping this thread or not 
the OP was written in haste, and my frustration overpowered what i intended to say. i feel the need to clarify and pass along some information. i don't expect to change anyone's beliefs nor am i trying to force my beliefs on anyone. i do like to share though!
drugs are not sentient; no drug is inherently good or bad. drugs do not cause people to make decisions. it is the individual who chooses to make decisions. this is fact. this is not a fact most of us have been conditioned to believe because it steps on too many toes.
i believe that almost any drug can be used responsibly, but that says nothing about the responsibility of individuals or their soundness of mind. i believe that adults should have safe access to experimentation. humans have been using "hard" drugs for millenia, and i think we could learn a lot more from it now, in a controlled environment.
i do not think decriminalization would prevent addiction or improve the safety of drugs. it would reduce the cost as it would reduce the legal risk, but that could very well mean more drug use and more drug use by young people. decriminalization also would not guarantee the safety or purity of drugs. it may or may not affect the amount of drug related violence. decriminalization might work for something like cannabis, but all around it is a risky move for any society to make at this point.
the type of legalization i would like to see would allow sound minded adults to purchase and use a drug under the supervision of a trained medical professional. the depth of that supervision would vary by drug and individual.
scenario:
Amanda, 27, would like to try MDMA. Amanda goes to a medical specialist who evaluates her physically and mentally to best ensure that this should be safe. Amanda is counseled on the effects of the drug and the proper precautions. if the specialist finds Amanda to be of good physical and mental health, she is given a threshold dose in a controlled environment and monitored. if all is well, Amanda is required to complete legal paperwork taking responsibility for her actions as a registered user. she is given a card to purchase MDMA from a pharmacy. she may only purchase a predetermined amount. she may only purchase it a certain number of times per year. she receives a consultation each time she makes a purchase, and must sign for her purchase. she must be re-evaluated each year, or she may no longer purchase the drug.
this form of legalization would take lots of effort and planning, and probably won't happen in our lifetimes. it would not eliminate illegal drug use, addiction, or even overdose, but as my OP said, it would drastically cut down on "mistakes" involving purity and safety and would encourage responsibility, especially when compared to outright prohibition.
i believe at least one country offers a similar approach to the treatment of heroin addiction, and it has been found much more effective than methadone or suboxone. from what i remember, "junkies" can go into a clinic and are counseled on their use. they are administered a clean, regulated dose by a physician (or nurse). they are weaned off the drug without other unnecessary and addicting chemicals and typically have a lower instance of relapse. i believe the (former) governor of Nevada wanted to use this approach after seeing it put to use in Canada. my memory is a little foggy on the conversation, but the information came from a lecture at a DPA conference.
i think this method could not only be used to treat addiction, but to allow reasonable adults a safe venue for recreational drug use.
i've come to my beliefs through education, research, and experimentation. i won't call anyone a moron for becoming addicted to a drug. physically and psychologically we are all different. our bodies and minds react differently to substances. the biggest part of addiction is psychological.
for anyone who cares to hear my personal story..
i don't want anyone to think that my goal is to sound superior to anyone, or to come off as a know-it-all.
i've never craved any drug, even "highly addictive" substances, even after i've binged on them. i enjoy many substances and when presented with the opportunity, i certainly party hard. i also make certain that my body doesn't build up tolerance to any of these substances, so i don't do anything regularly. sometimes, it's fun to drop acid and wander around watching things distort and losing touch with reality. sometimes, it's fun to take MDMA and roll around on a soft bed listening to music at an unreasonable decibel. sometimes, it's fun to lounge around doing heroin and watching tv. sometimes, it's fun to get trashed, but ask any addict, and they'll tell you it isn't fun to use every day. the cool thing is, if you never start using every day you'll never actually need to. one does not become physically addicted to a substance after one use, medically it just isn't possible. psychologically, it is. this is where my beliefs come from. i have met many people with the same views as me, who use substances in the same way i do: occasional fun. not everyone has the capacity to do this. i've witnessed close friends and family members spiral out of control. i'm not saying that drug use should be a right, but i see no reason to prevent regulated, responsible, adult use.
i've made a point to experiment with many substances for the point of personal research. i grew up around drug addicts and responsible drug users, and i noticed the difference. at a very young age (5th grade D.A.R.E. class) i began pondering the hype behind drugs. i couldn't fathom anything being so horrible as they told us in school, but i began to believe it. i even became convinced that i needed to tell a person in authority that my parents smoked weed. it was dangerous! luckily, there wasn't too much trouble (fact: DHR in my state WILL NOT remove a child from a custody of someone who ONLY smokes weed).
i smoked weed a few times in middle school and became convinced i was doing it wrong because i didn't see the big deal. in high school, i occasionally smoked, but still didn't find it to be that impressive. at 14, i started trying various prescriptions. none really caught my attention, except prescription methamphetamine that i took to keep my grades up and my weight down. even then, with daily use for months, i had no problems stopping.
since i've been in college, i've tried more prescriptions than i can name and discovered i'm sensitive to codeine. i enjoy the experience of some pills, but eh. one day, i decided i would try cocaine. someone i knew had acquired some very good shit directly from South America. i tried lots of it, i freebased it, and i was thankful i didn't pay for it. i've done it since, but it just isn't my thing. i experimented with pain killers and while many of them were fun, i didn't care to do any of them often.
after doing lots of reading (i love Erowid) and taking a couple classes on drugs, i found that heroin was very similar to many of the prescription drugs i'd tried. when the opportunity arose, i prepared to have my mind blown. it wasn't. in fact, i felt identically as if i'd taken a decent dose of an EXTREMELY common painkiller. i've since done heroin several times. i've used it as a painkiller and i've used it recreationally. a couple times, i've used it many days on end and have gone through withdrawal as a result. it wasn't life threatening, but to say the least, i vomited and sweated and shook. at that point, i knew i could use more and that if i did, i would feel almost instantly better. i also know that is probably the most illogical way to handle that situation, so i toughed it out.
i've also done various hallucinogens. some would be surprised to learn that aside from the hallucinogenic effect being a result of poisoning, many common psychedelics pose little to no health risks in the mentally stable (never use hallucinogens if conditions like schizophrenia run in your family) aside from those with mental health conditions, tripping is not particularly dangerous. no one has ever died from doing too much LSD (fact!) and anyone who has had a "flashback" or "permatrip" either has a severe mental instability or lying problem. most hallucinogens do not make one believe they're seeing or hearing things, they simply alter (heighten) one's senses and perception which confuses the signals the brain receives. many substances that cause the user to "see" things that aren't there, aren't intended for use as hallucinogens (tranquilizers, for example). some hallucinogens are more dangerous than others; most of these are synthesized because they're unscheduled and easier to make than some of the psychedelics that can score you life in prison.
the biggest problem with most illicit substances is misinformation and a lack of education.
the OP was written in haste, and my frustration overpowered what i intended to say. i feel the need to clarify and pass along some information. i don't expect to change anyone's beliefs nor am i trying to force my beliefs on anyone. i do like to share though!
drugs are not sentient; no drug is inherently good or bad. drugs do not cause people to make decisions. it is the individual who chooses to make decisions. this is fact. this is not a fact most of us have been conditioned to believe because it steps on too many toes.
i believe that almost any drug can be used responsibly, but that says nothing about the responsibility of individuals or their soundness of mind. i believe that adults should have safe access to experimentation. humans have been using "hard" drugs for millenia, and i think we could learn a lot more from it now, in a controlled environment.
i do not think decriminalization would prevent addiction or improve the safety of drugs. it would reduce the cost as it would reduce the legal risk, but that could very well mean more drug use and more drug use by young people. decriminalization also would not guarantee the safety or purity of drugs. it may or may not affect the amount of drug related violence. decriminalization might work for something like cannabis, but all around it is a risky move for any society to make at this point.
the type of legalization i would like to see would allow sound minded adults to purchase and use a drug under the supervision of a trained medical professional. the depth of that supervision would vary by drug and individual.
scenario:
Amanda, 27, would like to try MDMA. Amanda goes to a medical specialist who evaluates her physically and mentally to best ensure that this should be safe. Amanda is counseled on the effects of the drug and the proper precautions. if the specialist finds Amanda to be of good physical and mental health, she is given a threshold dose in a controlled environment and monitored. if all is well, Amanda is required to complete legal paperwork taking responsibility for her actions as a registered user. she is given a card to purchase MDMA from a pharmacy. she may only purchase a predetermined amount. she may only purchase it a certain number of times per year. she receives a consultation each time she makes a purchase, and must sign for her purchase. she must be re-evaluated each year, or she may no longer purchase the drug.
this form of legalization would take lots of effort and planning, and probably won't happen in our lifetimes. it would not eliminate illegal drug use, addiction, or even overdose, but as my OP said, it would drastically cut down on "mistakes" involving purity and safety and would encourage responsibility, especially when compared to outright prohibition.
i believe at least one country offers a similar approach to the treatment of heroin addiction, and it has been found much more effective than methadone or suboxone. from what i remember, "junkies" can go into a clinic and are counseled on their use. they are administered a clean, regulated dose by a physician (or nurse). they are weaned off the drug without other unnecessary and addicting chemicals and typically have a lower instance of relapse. i believe the (former) governor of Nevada wanted to use this approach after seeing it put to use in Canada. my memory is a little foggy on the conversation, but the information came from a lecture at a DPA conference.
i think this method could not only be used to treat addiction, but to allow reasonable adults a safe venue for recreational drug use.
i've come to my beliefs through education, research, and experimentation. i won't call anyone a moron for becoming addicted to a drug. physically and psychologically we are all different. our bodies and minds react differently to substances. the biggest part of addiction is psychological.
for anyone who cares to hear my personal story..
i don't want anyone to think that my goal is to sound superior to anyone, or to come off as a know-it-all.
i've never craved any drug, even "highly addictive" substances, even after i've binged on them. i enjoy many substances and when presented with the opportunity, i certainly party hard. i also make certain that my body doesn't build up tolerance to any of these substances, so i don't do anything regularly. sometimes, it's fun to drop acid and wander around watching things distort and losing touch with reality. sometimes, it's fun to take MDMA and roll around on a soft bed listening to music at an unreasonable decibel. sometimes, it's fun to lounge around doing heroin and watching tv. sometimes, it's fun to get trashed, but ask any addict, and they'll tell you it isn't fun to use every day. the cool thing is, if you never start using every day you'll never actually need to. one does not become physically addicted to a substance after one use, medically it just isn't possible. psychologically, it is. this is where my beliefs come from. i have met many people with the same views as me, who use substances in the same way i do: occasional fun. not everyone has the capacity to do this. i've witnessed close friends and family members spiral out of control. i'm not saying that drug use should be a right, but i see no reason to prevent regulated, responsible, adult use.
i've made a point to experiment with many substances for the point of personal research. i grew up around drug addicts and responsible drug users, and i noticed the difference. at a very young age (5th grade D.A.R.E. class) i began pondering the hype behind drugs. i couldn't fathom anything being so horrible as they told us in school, but i began to believe it. i even became convinced that i needed to tell a person in authority that my parents smoked weed. it was dangerous! luckily, there wasn't too much trouble (fact: DHR in my state WILL NOT remove a child from a custody of someone who ONLY smokes weed).
i smoked weed a few times in middle school and became convinced i was doing it wrong because i didn't see the big deal. in high school, i occasionally smoked, but still didn't find it to be that impressive. at 14, i started trying various prescriptions. none really caught my attention, except prescription methamphetamine that i took to keep my grades up and my weight down. even then, with daily use for months, i had no problems stopping.
since i've been in college, i've tried more prescriptions than i can name and discovered i'm sensitive to codeine. i enjoy the experience of some pills, but eh. one day, i decided i would try cocaine. someone i knew had acquired some very good shit directly from South America. i tried lots of it, i freebased it, and i was thankful i didn't pay for it. i've done it since, but it just isn't my thing. i experimented with pain killers and while many of them were fun, i didn't care to do any of them often.
after doing lots of reading (i love Erowid) and taking a couple classes on drugs, i found that heroin was very similar to many of the prescription drugs i'd tried. when the opportunity arose, i prepared to have my mind blown. it wasn't. in fact, i felt identically as if i'd taken a decent dose of an EXTREMELY common painkiller. i've since done heroin several times. i've used it as a painkiller and i've used it recreationally. a couple times, i've used it many days on end and have gone through withdrawal as a result. it wasn't life threatening, but to say the least, i vomited and sweated and shook. at that point, i knew i could use more and that if i did, i would feel almost instantly better. i also know that is probably the most illogical way to handle that situation, so i toughed it out.
i've also done various hallucinogens. some would be surprised to learn that aside from the hallucinogenic effect being a result of poisoning, many common psychedelics pose little to no health risks in the mentally stable (never use hallucinogens if conditions like schizophrenia run in your family) aside from those with mental health conditions, tripping is not particularly dangerous. no one has ever died from doing too much LSD (fact!) and anyone who has had a "flashback" or "permatrip" either has a severe mental instability or lying problem. most hallucinogens do not make one believe they're seeing or hearing things, they simply alter (heighten) one's senses and perception which confuses the signals the brain receives. many substances that cause the user to "see" things that aren't there, aren't intended for use as hallucinogens (tranquilizers, for example). some hallucinogens are more dangerous than others; most of these are synthesized because they're unscheduled and easier to make than some of the psychedelics that can score you life in prison.
the biggest problem with most illicit substances is misinformation and a lack of education.
