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Offlinesiriusmushroom
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hypocrisy of drug policy in a day to day discussion
    #15758929 - 02/04/12 03:18 AM (11 years, 11 months ago)

A little project i have been working on...to get the average person to see trough these 'techniques'used by the anti-drug warriors.

If one area of human existence is blatantly laden with hypocrisy, it is the story of drug policies. In this little essay I will look into this story, and I will show the points of hypocrisy that make it up. Maybe if more people can share this view we will finally demand change.

So lets dive in, please suspend all forms of believe for a little bit. Also, I am only giving information, take it lightly and see if it resonates with you. Don't get caught up in emotions over it.

Hypocrisy, if you ask me these are the modus operandi of all drug policies. If one takes a step back, and looks upon this matter from a detached point of view, one is met with hypocrisy, both from the side of what one sees, and even more so by the behavior of the 'anti-drug warriors'.

To keep this nice and easy I have decided to bring you this story in the form of a day to day discussion. On the one side there is the 'average' person, getting his knowledge first and foremost through the mainstream media. On the other side there is a person who has taken an interest in the way our drug policies work, and has done his homework. Getting his knowledge trough fairly new channels, not controlled by, well, no central controlling to be found here, you know, www. So lets have a hypothetical discussion between a mainstream news abuser, and a self-educated person. Lets see if you can discover who is who.

So did you hear about this new bath-salt thing?

Yeah, if you ask me the policy makers will soon be facing the downsides of the path they have chosen to take.

What do you mean? These drugs have never had benefits to us. They said on the news that these bath-salts have all kind of weird Chinese chemicals in them. Who are these people that use this stuff.

Well must be plenty of them. But the problem is that these chemicals are only being sold now, because the things people are really after are illegal. On top of that, these bath-salts have a huge negative side-effect, because of the law. They are not illegal, making the threshold for people to use them a lot lower. I really think the current laws are responsible for this situation. And, because all of the older, by now well-known 'traditional psycho-active substances' have been banned these chemicals flood the markets.

Well, you cannot say that something like XTC, or LSD is good for you, can you?

There are good nor bad, it depends on how one uses them. And hmm, well, you do enjoy your cigar et and your beer from time to time right? And you watch quite a lot of tell-a-vision right?

Yeah, but I don't see no harm in that. If I don't bother others with what I do, what should they care even. This is America, land of the free. Still I think the drug policy is protecting a lot of people and is there for a good reason.

What reason?

Well, you know, eventually the goal is to create a drug free society.

So why don't you set the example and stop smoking and drinking? And can I ask you, what would you say is a drug?

Oh that one is easy. A drug is something that dulls you, turns you into an unproductive member of society. Anything that is illegal basically.

But if you look at it from another perspective, then your biggest enemy should be tell-a-vision. You see, it turns people into zombies, and they are certainly not productive when they use it.

You can say that, but it is just the way I for one like to spend my evening. There is a time to be productive and there is a time for amusement.

Okay, I can agree with you on that, sure. But why would you then turn someone using another 'preferred way' of spending his 'free time' into a criminal?

If we know that these things are bad for you, then we should not sell them.

You do realize tobacco and alcohol kill a lot more people then all the illegal drugs combined right?

No I didn't, but how I can know that what you are saying is right? The image I have of the situation is definitely telling me something else.

Hehe, good you use the term image. Who's image are we talking about then? You do realize that if you never look beyond the mainstream media then your 'image' or your view is pretty narrow?

How can you say that. I think you are loosing me here.

Okay, okay. Let's get back to the subject. The death toll in Mexico alone, directly connected to the fact that certain drugs are illegal, should raise your eyebrows, no?

Well that's up for discussion, they make a lot of money so that's why they sometimes pay the highest price.

So what about research that clearly shows that the more repressive a policy, and lets be honest, the American one is pretty repressive, the higher the number of users? The most well known example being Holland. America has about 3 times more kids smoking weed then the Dutch do.

Okay, you may have a point there, or two maybe.

I'm just saying, if you feel like banning something, at least try to do it on the ground of good science. And my humble opinion is that science is telling us that there are no bad substances, there is only bad use of substances that we need to look at.

These must be substances that science has shown to be of bad nature, right?

Well, research shows there are no good or bad substances, we can only distinguish between good and bad use of substances. I mean, one can drown oneself by drinking too much water. Research actually shows us that the number of deaths related to the use of legal drugs are exponentially higher then those associated with illegal drugs. The number of people dying from using their 'medication' as prescribed is more then ten times higher then that of all numbers of death of ALL illegal drugs put together.

So you are saying that the illegal drugs are less dangerous then the legal ones? You must be kidding me right?

I am not saying that. Both are as dangerous or not as each other. It is the way they are used, or abused, that makes them 'bad' or 'good'. But the use of prescribed drugs does cause more deaths then the use of illegal drugs.

But for sure, the illegal drugs, science must have had something to do with their choice?

Well, no. Every once in a while truly independent research is done, and always do they give the same recommendations. Namely that the classification of drugs as we now know it, is totally off and should be revised immediately. But these sounds are mostly killed before they can be heard. A good example of this can be found by looking into the story of professor David Nutt.

So who decided to create this policy this way then?

Well, history showed us that these policies were mostly called to live with racist intentions. It also shows us clearly how these policies have nothing to do with science. It has all to do with the morality of 'the majority'.

So you are saying the list of drugs that are controlled is randomly made up?

No, not randomly, it had specific minorities as a target. It did not have anything to do with the harmfulness of any of the given substances, it had everything to do with who was seen as using them.  Even today, one can clearly see a bias in the number of people incarcerated for drug-related offenses. So even to this day, the drug policy is often used to target minorities.

So okay, maybe the list used is not the best thing and should be up for discussion, but we are protecting our weaker fellows with these laws, no?

Well, depends on what you see as protecting. If locking up people involved in non-violent crimes, which make up for most of the drug related convictions, is seen as helping or protecting someone, yes then they do. But to me, protecting someone is first and foremost done by helping them when they need it. Someone abusing drugs will most often have an underlying issue that triggers this, so incarceration of this person is not going to solve that, it will only add yet another problem. Also if one sees an addiction as a medical, or health issue, then incarceration again is not something that will help or protect. It will actually accomplish the exact opposite.

Okay, so you are saying we need to legalize all drugs?

Yes, if by legalizing you mean that they will be treated like any other product being sold, then yes. But here also things get blurred easily. Because 'legalizing', when it means government controlled, might be the last thing we really want. I for one cannot see myself using government grown cannabis. I have no faith in the government anymore, and having them involved with the production of the substances I would want to use, no thank you. What I am saying is liberate these things, and let the free market deal with it.

Well, I think you would release a beast upon our children when you do that. How are you going to prevent our children from indulging in these substances on a way to early age?

The hypocrisy shows its ugly head again clearly. The drug war has not diminished the demand nor the supply of drugs. Even more interesting, research clearly shows how prices of drugs have gone down, while at the same time the quality has gone up. Notwithstanding the ever tougher laws that are supposed to eradicate them. Something does not really fit here does it?

Secondly, these laws do not protect our children, on the contrary. Research shows how for most kids nowadays it is a lot easier to get any of the illegal substances then any of the legal ones. For cigarettes and liquor they have to go to a store where they get an ID check, and as such cannot buy them. The illegal drugs are easier to get, I have never seen a dealer of illegal drugs ask for an ID. So by making these substances available in shops where they would ask for an ID we could prevent children from getting their hands on them a lot easier and more efficient then is being done now.

Thirdly, research shows that a more repressive policy leads to more abuse. The numbers of people using, and abusing, certain drugs is more often higher if the policy is more repressive. So if you are really worried about your children, then ask change.

Well I actually don't know what to say now, I really need to let this sink in for a bit. But thanks for sharing your view. It almost felt like tell-a-vision hihi

Ask for change, write to your politicians, let them know that you know. The biggest problem with this policy is that we as a society don't get the chance to really learn how to handle these things. Tell the government to stop controlling our mind(the word government literally means control of the mind!) and give us a chance to learn trough our own mistakes.

This gives us a very short and straight to the point view on drug policy. The fact that these policies have never worked was hidden for a long time, but now, with ever increasing numbers of Research Chemicals being sold as alternatives to the substances already banned, this incompetence will be ever more visible. Soon we will not be able anymore to hold on to these outdated ineffective laws without the negative side-effects becoming increasingly visible. I for one feel okay with claiming that most of the victims of drugs are not victims of the drugs at all, yet they are victims of the drug policy.

We will look back onto the drug war as another dark age in the human experience.   


I would love to get some feedback on this, any good points I missed, anything I could still add? Any subjects not covered in the discussion?

thx all ready


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OfflineTripsySmurf
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Registered: 02/04/12
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Re: hypocrisy of drug policy in a day to day discussion [Re: siriusmushroom]
    #15758940 - 02/04/12 03:31 AM (11 years, 11 months ago)

Quote:

Well, history showed us that these policies were mostly called to live with racist intentions. It also shows us clearly how these policies have nothing to do with science. It has all to do with the morality of 'the majority'.

So you are saying the list of drugs that are controlled is randomly made up?

No, not randomly, it had specific minorities as a target. It did not have anything to do with the harmfulness of any of the given substances, it had everything to do with who was seen as using them.  Even today, one can clearly see a bias in the number of people incarcerated for drug-related offenses. So even to this day, the drug policy is often used to target minorities.




I don't completely agree with you here. Yes race is one issues, but I think a bigger one is *MONEY*. Money is probably the biggest factor on all laws. Who's money in this case?  Big tobacco and alcohol! They spend a great deal of there profits buying off politicians via lobbyist. This subject might scare off average person MSM person though.


Edited by TripsySmurf (02/04/12 03:32 AM)


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Offlinesiriusmushroom
pilgrim
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Registered: 11/01/08
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Re: hypocrisy of drug policy in a day to day discussion [Re: TripsySmurf]
    #15759063 - 02/04/12 05:06 AM (11 years, 11 months ago)

Yes, you are right, good point. as with al truths, they are all half truths :-)

then again, the laws definitely where created after scare stories of, for instance cocaine, cocaine crazed Negroes out to rape white women...

So yes, on a certain level, money will always be the key motivation, then again it really does not make sense money-wise to ban anything. yes the beer companies and pill-mills of the pharmaceutical industries have definitely pushed these legislations, but if they were only in it for the money then they would have supported some kind of legislation that would have given them the sole rights to use them and produce them.

and then again, yes this definitely was a way for them to protect their interests.

My intention with writing this was to be able to write a piece that is as 'black and white' as most media would represent the drug issue. Most people are caught up into thinking in dichotomies, and to my feeling, to get people to understand these issues better, and to get them to do their homework, i.e. get motivated to learn more, this might be the best way to represent it, and it might reach more people then when I would give the 'full'unclear picture.

Off course, most if not all of this is grey, neither black nor white. 

I am also very care full with pointing my finger at tobacco and alcohol...Yes we know they can be bad, but they should not be treated different from any other substance. Bottom line is there are no good or bad substances, only good or bad use of them, by people :-)

I really don't like pointing my finger at tobacco and or alcohol, yes there are problems with them, yes they might be bigger then the ones with illegal drugs, but also in this case our focus should be an the people using them, not the substance being used.

Doug Stanhope has a bt he does in his stand-up shows which explains this perfectly: Your shit does not make my shit less shittier...


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OfflineTripsySmurf
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Registered: 02/04/12
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Re: hypocrisy of drug policy in a day to day discussion [Re: siriusmushroom]
    #15759141 - 02/04/12 06:05 AM (11 years, 11 months ago)

The profit of the politicians writing the laws is the key factor. Race is just one of the tools used to keep us fighting amongst each other so we don't realize how badly they are fucking us over.

I think there is a way to make your argument reflect that. My original thought was that it could cause some side tracking but I don't think anymore so then then the race debate.


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Offlinesiriusmushroom
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Registered: 11/01/08
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Re: hypocrisy of drug policy in a day to day discussion [Re: TripsySmurf]
    #15759178 - 02/04/12 06:36 AM (11 years, 11 months ago)

good point again,

I will look into how I can let the argument reflect that. Yes, it is the old 'devide and conquer'game being played...


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InvisibleLuddite
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Re: hypocrisy of drug policy in a day to day discussion [Re: siriusmushroom]
    #15774459 - 02/07/12 03:28 PM (11 years, 11 months ago)

Natural selection is obviously the most important factor in the production of dissidents and deviants, which is ignored by the social engineers in the government.  The size of the prison population is an indication of this.  If all drugs were legalized that would allow the human race to evolve resistances to the substances and other ways to deal with them.  Nanny states just encourage reproduction of the weak which weakens the race and will contribute to making the Malthusian nightmare worse when it does finally happen.  http://www.peakoil.com


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