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[Hanslanda]

Hi, Hanlanda, resident drug addict here. I find myself posting far too often about my habits in other threads. So, I've made a place you can berate me for it.

In case you don't know, I am on a Drug Court program, which keeps me out of prison in exchange for... A number of restrictions on my freedom and the continued assurance that I am drug free. I have two potential felons on my record as a result of drug use. I am not a specific drug user, I am a poly drug user.

Anyways, I'd like to hear the negative, positive, and neutral opinions of Bay12ers on drugs, if you all care to share them.

[kaijyuu]

So long as people don't do them in ignorance of their negative effects, I don't give a damn. Oh, and so long as they don't drive while high either.

Bit morbid to say this, but for the drugs with harmful effects, self mutilation isn't something I'd say should be illegal.

[Eagle_eye]

The issue is, a lot of these drugs are expensive enough that you won't be able to continue using them indefinitely unless you have a good job, which you're likely to lose if you fail a drug test for one of the harder drugs. Then, people get really addicted, and do things that are harmful to others to get more. I'm not saying this is the majority of drug users, but it does happen, and I think it's enough of a reason for things like coke and heroin to be illegal.

[MrWillsauce]

I don't think private drug use should be illegal, only the illegal distribution and public use of drugs. Also driving under the influence of any drugs should be illegal.

[ChairmanPoo]

I don't think private drug use should be illegal, only the illegal distribution and public use of drugs. Also driving under the influence of any drugs should be illegal.

Pretty much agreed. Throwing drug addicts into prisons is not helping with the problem

[Hubris Incalculable]

I think it's a damn bad idea to use anything stronger than Nicotine or Caffeine unless you are prescribed it. Srsly, don't do that to yourself.

[Urist_McDrowner]

I don't want to make it legal, because then they can run commercials and such for it, and it may get ingrained in our society such that it becomes so hard to control, like cigarettes and alcohol. Just make it a violation, like speeding. DUI should be heavily punished, drugs of those sort, and cigarettes and alcohol should be heavily punished if used while pregnant. Selling should carry a huge sentence, but using, only a violation. 

[MrWillsauce]

Also Hanslanda how were you caught? I mean if I were to do drugs I am fairly confident I could do so without getting caught by the police.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

I completely refrain from anything that would be considered a recreational drug and intend to do so for the remainder of my life, but I do not begrudge others for having a different preference.

I support the legalization of less harmful substances and the decriminalization of all substances. You can't make hardcore addicts not be hardcore addicts by putting them in an overcrowded prison, rehabilitative efforts that aren't preachy and stupid are the solution.

[Virex]

I think it's a damn bad idea to use anything stronger than Nicotine or Caffeine unless you are prescribed it. Srsly, don't do that to yourself.

Nicotine is a pretty damn addictive drug, mind you. And the tar you inhale while smoking isn't exactly healthy either.

I don't want to make it legal, because then they can run commercials and such for it,

It's illegal to advertise for cigarettes on TV or the radio in the Netherlands and I haven't seen a lot of posters advertising them recently. I don't see why the two should be connected.

[Urist_McDrowner]

There are a lot more ways to advertise than billboards. Retired Michael Phelps, say, walking around with a bong everywhere. Brad Pitt goes to the movie with crack dust on his jacket. Things like that.

[i2amroy]

Also Hanslanda how were you caught? I mean if I were to do drugs I am fairly confident I could do so without getting caught by the police.

Just because you might be smart enough to prevent from getting caught while your normal doesn't meant that you are smart enough to not get caught while you are high. There have been plenty of arrests that I know about where the person would never let the police in normally, but when the police knocked on their door while they were high they were happy to say "sure, come right on in officer".

I guess those are my three big problems with drug use, namely being that they stop people from thinking at their best (it's difficult to perform any sort of task when your busy thinking that the walls are all alive), they are extremely addictive (you thought quitting coffee was hard? Try quitting a hard drug and it's many times worse), and the third is that they ruin your health and your relationships with those you know. 99% of the people out there have family or friends somewhere out there, and even if you aren't worrying about what drugs will do to you they will. Being around people who are high or drunk is only funny if you are high or drunk yourself, elsewise it's just saddening and worrying.

I do agree with the idea that prison is a bad solution to the problem though. Personally I think the real solution is to stop the distribution of drugs to younger age people, possibly with harsh penalties, while legalizing it for older people to try if they want. Currently over 80% of regular smokers become addicted before the age of 18, with 90% becoming addicted in their teens (as of 2006); it is only a small percentage that actually become addicted later in life. Add into that the fact that studies have shown that the younger people become addicted to anything, the much harder it becomes for them to successfully quit, even if they truely want to (3 of 4 regular smokers in high school have already tried to quit once and failed). So while I support the legalization and lightening of punishments on drugs for older people, I strongly support the increase of punishments on those who give cigarettes and drugs to younger kids and believe that if we do legalize harder drugs then tobacco and alcohol the age limits to try them should be higher still.

[penguinofhonor]

You're also never sure if your friends will get caught and drag you into trouble.

I'm for more education to compensate for lighter penalties. It works with sex, right? Abstinence education doesn't work, and drug abstinence doesn't either. They teach about drugs pretty often, but rather than educating people about responsibility and how to avoid things they don't want, they tell people exaggerations and bullshit scare stories and how every drug will fuck you up permanently.

In that context, I feel like it makes sense that gateway effects happen. Hey, if you were lied to about alcohol/cigarettes/marijuana in school then how bad could the rest of that stuff be?

[GoombaGeek]

I don't like them.

That's all I end up saying in these threads, because I don't know any drug users personally and I'm a teenager and it's all like "onoez everyone else knows so much moar" so all I learned was from school. Except we didn't seem to get personal scare stories? They just said that drugs were addictive and had no benefits and were expensive which still seems true. Then later on there was this one girl who ended up making me think that everyone defending them were stupid, because we had this lovely conversation:

Girl: I want to find out how much you're ignorant about drugs.
Me: I actually don't want to talk about them.
Girl: You arrogant asshole! What if your friends talk about it and you don't want to and you look stupid?!
Me: *stunned*
Girl: Just answer one question and I'll shut up. How many times do you have to do marijuana to get addicted to it?
Me: Uh, one?
Girl: NO YOU'RE WRONG *long angry tirade*

I probably was wrong (and I've met lots of people who'll tell me all about it), but they all seemed crazy (this girl later went on to kick a guy in the balls for sitting next to her). And so I ended up thinking that you shouldn't do drugs. And then I carefully didn't talk to people about it because they ended up lapsing into crazy mode every time. So that's where I am now, really.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

I probably was wrong (and I've met lots of people who'll tell me all about it), but they all seemed crazy (this girl later went on to kick a guy in the balls for sitting next to her). And so I ended up thinking that you shouldn't do drugs. And then I carefully didn't talk to people about it because they ended up lapsing into crazy mode every time. So that's where I am now, really.

You were, in fact, wrong. Marijuana does not cause physical addiction. Psychological addiction is possible, but psychological addiction is possible for anything and everything.