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Why We Should Say Yes to Drugs

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Re: Why We Should Say Yes to Drugs

#51

Post by headsoup »

benbreen wrote: post #30
merinowool wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Portugal model is setup for illegal drug trade to flourish. I am worried that they might be sleepwalking into situation like there is in Mexico. Cartels getting richer and spreading through different economy sectors like a cancer.

Writing this from Lisbon. Is there any evidence that Portugal's policy has had a negative effect? Based on the New Yorker article about the issue a few years ago, I was under the impression that drug decriminalization in Portugal has been quite successful.

No definitely positive effect from everything I've read. I just find it weird that with that the production and distribution of drugs is still illegal from that.

Baby steps I guess

Re: Why We Should Say Yes to Drugs

#52

Post by headsoup »

meiraleal wrote: post #34
headsoup wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You don't need a nanny state as a solution. In fact that's bad as it leaves people to believe they don't need to critically think about things because 'nanny' has them covered. They need better regulation, education (not the systemic industrial kind currently provided) and discussion. Marketplace of ideas and all that.

7 billion people are not going to think in a critical way. It didn't happen when we had 1 billion, nor 2, 3... And the difficult is growing. To deal with it is the only reason politics was created. PS: we are asking the same: better regulation and education (and more boards of discussion) is the foundation of a great state.

Indeed, but is non-critical thinking a default, or the outcome of systems put in place? I.e. Which root cause is being assumed?

Re: Why We Should Say Yes to Drugs

#54

Post by thrav »

bencollier49 wrote: post #46
merinowool wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is change only a bad thing?

We're adapted as optimally as evolution can manage, for survival. You think change will necessarily be a good thing? If 50% of people are changed for the better, and 50% for the worse, is that good? There used to be a saying that LSD made smart people smarter and stupid people jump out of windows. Is that a good thing?

If that were true, it sounds like an evolution accelerant.

Jokes aside, evolution is not necessarily modern civilization, technology, and laws. Those are our creations, and psychedelics have been an active part of our arrival at them. Psychedelics have been used by humans the world over for far longer than people have been making LSD in labs.

Re: Why We Should Say Yes to Drugs

#55

Post by icantdrive55 »

yodsanklai wrote: post #17
abhiminator wrote: post #5

I'm totally on-board with opposition to the pointless 'War on Drugs,' but what I'm not cool with is when pundits and other public figures on the other side of the spectrum PUSH for its wide-adoption and integration into everyday lifestyle akin to alcohol -- like the article's author is doing here -- which I feel is equally detrimental because there have been many well documented cases of people succumbing to the spel…

Weed can be harmful in an insidious way. I think it should be legal, but not promoted. Hopefully, legalization will be accompanied by prevention campaigns.

I wish they (state governments that legalized it) just tell the truth about marijuana.

1. Like most health claims about weed are all unfounded, and most likely placebo.

2. Certain people, like myself, are very sensitive to weed. Weed, even in small doses, make me very nervous. And even the weed that's supposedly good for anxiety--low, or high cbd's?

3. It's too bad so many of us are self medicating just to feel somewhat balaced in this wonderful country?

4. It's too bad Psychiatry haven't accomplished much since they were duped, along with us, with the wonder drugs (heterocyclic drugs like Proxac) of the ninties.

I know so many people self-medicating, usually with weed, and alcohol.

As bad as alcohol is on the body, it does hit so many receptor sites in the brain. And if we legalized benzodiazepines, maybe we could save many from becoming alcoholics? The argument goes on?

At this point, I would like to see all drugs, except antibiotics, legal.

Homelessness is at an all time high, while the economy is supposedly banging?

It's really gotten ugly.

Re: Why We Should Say Yes to Drugs

#56

Post by meiraleal »

headsoup wrote: post #52
meiraleal wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

7 billion people are not going to think in a critical way. It didn't happen when we had 1 billion, nor 2, 3... And the difficult is growing. To deal with it is the only reason politics was created. PS: we are asking the same: better regulation and education (and more boards of discussion) is the foundation of a great state.

Indeed, but is non-critical thinking a default, or the outcome of systems put in place? I.e. Which root cause is being assumed?

I think non-critical thinking for the modern society is the default of the human being, and the critical thinking we have by default might not be always suitable (adrenaline, rage, lies/plots, violence, store calories/overeat, etc).

Re: Why We Should Say Yes to Drugs

#58

Post by Chathamization »

abhiminator wrote: post #5

I'm totally on-board with opposition to the pointless 'War on Drugs,' but what I'm not cool with is when pundits and other public figures on the other side of the spectrum PUSH for its wide-adoption and integration into everyday lifestyle akin to alcohol -- like the article's author is doing here -- which I feel is equally detrimental because there have been many well documented cases of people succumbing to the spel…

> what I'm not cool with is when pundits and other public figures on the other side of the spectrum PUSH for its wide-adoption and integration into everyday lifestyle akin to alcohol

While I agree that people should be cautious about taking any mind altering drug, from what I've seen alcohol seems to be even more dangerous (compare your first link with the information here[1] and here[2]). The big difference is that there is immense societal pressure to consume alcohol all the time (and this pressure occurs everywhere - you'll even get it at work events). Contrast that with something like this pro-psychedelic piece, which only advocates the potential of a small number of uses of psychedelics in one's entire lifetime.

[1] https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/overview-alcohol-co... [2] https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/alcohol-poisoning-deaths/inde...

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