Philosophically, I believe that I should be able to put whatever I want in my body without legal penalty. Obviously that includes being responsible with my use.

Realistically, I know that drugs come with a set of problems. Not everybody is responsible, and addiction is never good for society. China's first attempts to control Opium were not a conspiracy to rob people of their rights, they were reactions to real problems. It hasn't changed.

I would say to legalize and control the so called "soft" drugs and heavily regulate the "hard" ones. The problem lies in making a distinction. We also know that the nature of these substances doesn't necessarily take well to heavy regulation, giving heroin "licenses" only to successful people with jobs and social responsibility is a fantasy that won't translate into reality.

I would say there are certainly more desirable alternatives to what we have now, but I would also say that there is progress on that front, marijuana decriminalization might not happen tommorow, but it's not going away. In Canada and places in Europe safe injection clinics and prescription grade heroin is availible to addicts. Even methadone clinics and drug courts can be seen as a step in the right direction. I must insert the caveat that these are mere beacons of light and are NOT the overriding ideology.

I don't think you can make a moral difference between beer or meth. I think you should be able to make your own decisions. I do think that drug use in society should be regulated for the benefit of the community. I firmly believe that the issue is being approached in a preposterous manner and that more educated and thoughtful deliberation could invoke much more "ideal" solutions.

Holy shit that was long. If you made it this far, thanks for listening.