04-16-2005, 01:41 PM
From that link:
Frankly, any drug user should ask themselves that question about the drug of their choice. I know a number of alcohol users for whom the answers to each of those questions would be a resounding 'yes'.
I made no claim that there was no physical addiction involved. I do, however, believe that there are 'addictive' personalities that are far more prone to taking enough to get to the physical addiction. Physical addiction is not instantaneous, to any drug, including cocaine.
And your point would be? Lethal doses of other products are small in quantity too.
gekko, I admire your concern. I still believe that, once given the information about the drug, adults should be free to choose their own poison. I believe that the 'war on drugs' is a scandalous waste of my tax-paying money, and it threatens otherwise perfectly law-abiding responsible adults by having them take their transactions underground. I don't know where the lines in the sand should be drawn for access. (As with anything, the devil is in the details.) But I do strongly believe that adults should be responsible for their own behaviour, not regulated by a paternalistic government.
There are many other societal issues at stake here too. The supra-normal profits of illicit trade are wrecking the economies and societies of a number of other countries, just because our government is moralistic about the choices we get to make as citizens. Heck, Canadians have been at the receiving end of some bellicose commentary from south of the border because we are considering 'de-criminalizing' (not even close to legalizing) marijuana.
However, all that said, I cheerfully will agree to disagree with you. Perhaps the passage of time will bring one or both of us to a different viewpoint. :)
Quote:Regular users should ask themselves the following questions:
Can I also get in the mood without using cocaine?
Did I start to use more cocaine recently, and do I use more cocaine every time, at more places and more often?
Does it cost me more and more? Not only concerning money, but also concerning friends, work and school?
Do I think a lot about cocaine?
Have I changed since I started using cocaine?
Do I sometimes use cocaine to get rid of the adverse effects of last time?
Frankly, any drug user should ask themselves that question about the drug of their choice. I know a number of alcohol users for whom the answers to each of those questions would be a resounding 'yes'.
Quote:Some substances are much more addictive than others. Do you honestly believe there is not a physical element to drug addiction?
I made no claim that there was no physical addiction involved. I do, however, believe that there are 'addictive' personalities that are far more prone to taking enough to get to the physical addiction. Physical addiction is not instantaneous, to any drug, including cocaine.
Quote:It takes alot for the average person to overdose on alcohol to the point of death. It doesn't take nearly as much to overdose on cocaine.
And your point would be? Lethal doses of other products are small in quantity too.
gekko, I admire your concern. I still believe that, once given the information about the drug, adults should be free to choose their own poison. I believe that the 'war on drugs' is a scandalous waste of my tax-paying money, and it threatens otherwise perfectly law-abiding responsible adults by having them take their transactions underground. I don't know where the lines in the sand should be drawn for access. (As with anything, the devil is in the details.) But I do strongly believe that adults should be responsible for their own behaviour, not regulated by a paternalistic government.
There are many other societal issues at stake here too. The supra-normal profits of illicit trade are wrecking the economies and societies of a number of other countries, just because our government is moralistic about the choices we get to make as citizens. Heck, Canadians have been at the receiving end of some bellicose commentary from south of the border because we are considering 'de-criminalizing' (not even close to legalizing) marijuana.
However, all that said, I cheerfully will agree to disagree with you. Perhaps the passage of time will bring one or both of us to a different viewpoint. :)
And you may call it righteousness
When civility survives,
But I've had dinner with the Devil and
I know nice from right.
From Dinner with the Devil, by Big Rude Jake
When civility survives,
But I've had dinner with the Devil and
I know nice from right.
From Dinner with the Devil, by Big Rude Jake