Pistolen08

This is my viewpoint:
I have never done (and don't plan to do) any drugs. I also don't drink alcohol or smoke anything.
I have a mutual understanding of other's choices and respect them. As long as it doesn't affect me, I really couldn't care less. If, for example, some drunk/high driver hit me or something, that's when I would start caring. As long as the person is responsible with their habits, they can do whatever they want.

Working in a pharmacy, I see druggies come in for painkillers (and syringes) all day (mostly on medicaid), knowing very well that they will turn around and sell them with a 100% profit margin. This upsets me because I, as a taxpayer, am paying for their little "business". Other than that, I don't mind.

If people bork up their mind on drugs, it will only mean that I will be assured a job higher up than them :-)

alexx

But you're not f--- with your body unless you do a ridiculous amount, and that's true of any vice. Eat enough double bacon cheeseburgers and you'll end up with high cholesterol and increased chances of heart attack (among other problems), but I doubt one here and there would kill you. And that, like drugs and alcohol, have a reason - they feel good. It's up to that person to control how much they consume and sometimes choices are made for the worse. But you wouldn't go up to that person eating a cheeseburger along with fries and that giant milkshake with the line "You're f--- with your body for no reason."

Alex

dmission

Why would one be illegal then, alexx?

Infinite_Truth

If someone does drugs and enjoys it [doesn't want to quit] yes I view myself as both superior to them and them as a lesser person. period.

Drinking and smoking, although not-good, are understandable.

alexx

Just because something is law doesn't mean it makes sense. In my opinion, dangers are highly exaggerated in the US. We have the highest drinking age (why do you think so many kids go buck-wild in college?), and compared to most other countries I've been to (from Canada to western/northern Europe to Southeast Asia), we also have the 'strictest' mentality against drugs. Meaning, there exists a nonsensical air of taboo that makes everyone paranoid about and automatically against them. For example, I lived in Amsterdam where drugs are tolerated and even legalized. I've also been to both London and Berlin, where the drinking age is 16. Were people always high or constantly on murderous rampages? No. In fact, because it's well integrated into their lifestyles, they know very well how to control themselves and are in general very tolerant, laid-back people.

Doing ridiculous amounts of drugs and alcohol is frowned upon no matter where you go, but in moderation it's not worth getting worked up over. Personally, I think it's absurd how people get so uptight about it, which is a phenomenon I usually only see in the US. It actually deludes people who don't engage in drugs and alcohol into thinking they're better than those who do.

Alex

phand8

^^i agree with alexx
Infinite_Truth...who r u to call yourself superior to anyone who does drugs?

shorty08

Alex, I completely agree with you on everything that you wrote.

mandi_4ever

^ I too, generally agree with you. People need to learn their limits.
I have never done drugs or alcohol, but if I judged everyone who did, I would have no friends. I guess that's a lie because my friends don't do anything either, but my point is, you should judge someone based on whether they are a good person or not, and I know there are a lot of good people out there who drink and there are a lot of bad people who don't. Someone isn't automatically bad because they disagree with you on an issue or participate in activities that you don't personally like.

sugarglider

i recently moved and found that the people in my new area smoke and drink like there is no tomorrow. the people where i used to live almost never did (with an exceptional few)

when i first learned of some of my friends drinking and smoking i was in shock because i wasn't really used to it. but now i am and as long as they do not try to involve me, i do not care. it's their choice, their body, their life- not mine

ChaiMex

Drugs can actually F--- you up real quick.
My Uncle started in high school, the 4th time he smoked he saw 'a wall fall down on him'.
he went on to do more crazy things, and congrats to him, he is schizophrenic now.
What is more so, Infinite truth has the right to feel what she (is that right? or are you a he...LOL) wants. If she is wrong to say she is superior, you are wrong to say she is wrong for calling herself superior.
What is more so, drugs are against the law because for a reason, logical or not, your lack of restraint is reflected in this. You cannot control yourself to say 'no', positive people have been trying to engrave the fact that drugs are bad, but you are still 'un-smart' *cough* enough to say yes.
oh well aren't you just a bada**. It shows your lack of individuality, and because it feels good make it right?
I've read some of ya'lls posts and some of them are very contradictory.
Some of you make it blatantly obvious you are on the stuff.
whether the drug was outlawed for practical proposes or not, the fact that you were weak enough to give into peer pressure and then put yourself into denial that its not that big of a deal.
chances are that the drug was outlawed for a reason, and even if the dangers are exaggerated (which I do not doubt they are), the government has the best interest in us as the population and the nation's future at large.
I am not one to tell you what to do, as I've never tried, but to lie and say it is not a big deal or it is ok in moderation, but also saying it is bad because, you, yourself are in denial would be misleading and hypocritical.

Newjack88

Marijuana should not be illegal. We spend billions of dollars each year prosecuting people for possession, dealing, etc. when we could actually be making money off it. Marijuana should be treated like cigarettes and made available but heavily taxed. In addition, there should also be a general campaign to educate people about marijuana addiction, which is comparable to any other psychological addiction, so that people can use it responsibly. Lastly, something would have to be done to make sure that we don't encourage farmers to stop growing food and start growing marijuana instead.

No, I am not in favor of legalizing marijuana because I am a pothead. In fact, I am against smoking pot. However, I care more that we are wasting money and resources when we could be making money. Why do we spend 30+ billion dollars on marijuana-related things? Why are we encouraging this product to be sold unregulated? Does America not realize that by making marijuana illegal we are giving incentives to people to deal drugs and encouraging organized crime?

alexx

What exactly was he smoking? I'm sorry for your uncle and I, too, have friends who went down the same path. It's never easy watching someone close to you spiral out of control. But like I said, moderation is the difference between people who can control themselves and those who get lost in drug use.
All right. So basically, (s)he can think she's superior and I can think (s)he's foolish for thinking so. According to your logic, we both have a right to our opinions and I don't see what the problem is.
Drugs aren't illegal to test people's willpower. I've lived in parts of the world where they were legal, and over there they don't seem to think think drugs are bad in moderation. I guess the US is just so much smarter than the rest of the world (I'm sure they would agree). I'm ready to admit a certain lack of restraint, but again, it's not an entirely new concept that people choose to self-indulge. Bringing back that stupid bacon cheeseburger analogy, everyone has a lack of restraint in some ways. Would you look down on overweight people for not being in shape? I mean, they've heard the dangers of diabetes and heart attacks just as often, if not more often, than the effects of drugs. At this point, 66.6% of Americans are overweight. What's wrong with them, right? Maybe you should start a tirade about how they're lazy and un-smart, too. But chances are you won't, because there's no anti-fat-people mentality and it would just be plain rude. I'm only asking for the same courtesy of not being judged so quickly.
Trust me, love. I'm the last person to proclaim what a bad--- I am, though I'm flattered you'd think so. I guess people who think drugs are bad are such individuals themselves, especially when they band together with the same arguments. Whether or not it's 'right' is a matter of opinion. I'm not trying to get anyone into it, nor do I affect people when I am. Most people are under the impression that drugs are done for no reason, when the reason is very simple, like every other vice: they feel good.
Oh, please. My parents am aware I do it from time to time, their only requirement is that I do it safely (yes, there is such a thing). I mean, if you would rather support the parents who have that strict anti-drug mentality like you, then I guess you would rather kids do it under peer pressure in god-knows-where. Drugs don't take over my life. I'm going to a very good school next year, and in high school I've had good grades, good friends (most of them don't even do drugs/alcohol) and healthy hobbies. I guess if a few moments of self-indulgence make me weak, I'll take that label and move on to what I would still imagine to be a good life with a bright future.
Yes, and I'm trying to say that sometimes laws are strange. And it's not even the law that's bad, it's the mentality it's causing people to have. When I was in Berlin, the drinking age was 16 but nobody cared if you had alcohol at 14 or 15. Would you say their government was completely un-interested in Germany's future at large? No. They have a different way of running things, and it doesn't necessarily make it bad.
Again, I don't see how it's misleading or hypocritical. I think my responses so far have been well-written and clear. I'll repeat: it's not a big deal when done in moderation. When not done in moderation, it's bad. I don't see how this statement is flawed.

Alex

IBProcrastinator

I don't really care about people drinking in moderation, but I tend to question their judgement if they do harder drugs than weed, like coke.

sammielue21

I find it amazing how Alex can take exactly what I'm thinking but make it sound so much better.

piccolojunior

That logic is interesting yet flawed. Cheeseburgers and milkshakes have nutritional value, just very very very very low relative to other items. You still get calories from fast food. Having three steakhouse burgers in one sitting by itself is not going to cause you to crash into my car.