From: utzoo!decvax!cca!hplabs!menlo70!hao!woods@sri-unix
Newsgroups: net.misc
Title: Re: Refresh on Addiction Discussion
Article-I.D.: hao.254
Posted: Fri Jun 18 14:46:52 1982
Received: Sun Jun 27 23:30:03 1982

     I have two things to add to this discussion:

1) It is clear to me that making "harmful" drugs illegal is not the way to go.
The problems are, firstly, who gets to define harmful? And secondly, it doesn't
stop people from doing them! I'll wager there isn't anyone on the net who 
doesn't at least themselves or have a friend who occasionally likes to smoke
pot, even though it is illegal. I think the government should market these 
controlled substances instead of letting the Mafia make all the money. That
way they will even know who all the abusers are, because they will know who is
buying how much! Then the people who want to indulge in recreational use of
drugs will be free to do so without making themselves into felons, and those
who might otherwise tend to abuse a given drug will be discouraged, because
(supposedly) profit is no longer the sole motivation of the seller. I am 
convinced that dealer attitude is at least partially responsible for the
large amount of drug abuse in this country. Very few dealers (and this includes
liquor store owners) will refuse to sell to someone who obviously is abusing
the drug, because addicts mean steady costumers. As long as many drugs are
only available on the Black Market, the government has little or no control
over the use of these drugs. HOw long are we going to live in the Dark Ages?
Let's make these illegal substances into controlled substances and divert
all that money away from a clearly undesirable influence (organized crime).

2) I do not believe that the government has the right to protect a person from
him/herself. All the evidence pointing to the harmful effects of cocaine, pot,
cigarettes, etc. only shows harmful effects on the user! Certainly some
activities (such as driving) must be prohibited while under the influence
of drugs, but just because there IS some evidence that heavy marijuana use
can lead to learning deficiencies is no excuse to make us into criminals. 
I think education (as Mark Horton sort of suggested) can do far more good
in curbing drug abuse than legislation. Making something illegal is the fastest
way to ensure that teenagers will want to try it. I think education fosters
a spirit of cooperation, and laws create an atmosphere of opposition.
How long are we going to live in the Dark Ages?

                    GREG (ucbvax!menlo70!hao!woods)