From: Walpurgis (walpurg@myrealbox.com)
Date: Wed Jul 17 2002 - 05:22:36 MDT
> [Mermaid]Hello Walpurgis. I hope you wont mind if I butt in and share
> a few thoughts on this subject.(which I suspect is the most popular
> topic for recurring discussions)
Hello :) I don't mind at all! This is a public mailing list after all. Your
thoughts are valuable, thanks.
> [Walpurgis]At what point can you, I or the state step in and say
> "no/wrong"?
>
> [Mermaid]When one's drug/alcohol/"any other individual choice of
> behaviour" use/abuse/dependency begins to affect/endanger/threaten
> another's life/property/peace of mind or have an adverse impact on the
> social/economic/material/emotional spheres of their daily lives.
The impact will be adverse to some degree - unavoidably. I think
the problem is the *extent* of the negative effect. If other drugs
prove to be just as negative (or less so, but not more so) as
tobacco/alcohol then they are justified. Unless you want to
reform/ban these two drugs themselves of course. Otherwise, the
position would be hypocritical.
> [Mermaid]Substance abuse cannot be avoided,
Neither can substance *use*. Lets remember not all use of drugs is
abuse, just like not all sex is abusive.
> b.age limit for the purchase of tobacco/alcohol/drugs.
Should other mind-altering substances like junk-food and chocolate
have an age-limit too/ Why ask such a question when the interests
of the companies that sell these products are so entrenched as to
be inmoveable anyway....?
> c.statutory warnings wrt general and expected health risks and other
> side effects on the label.
Any everything else too.
> d.when the tax payer is not burdened with the cost of treatement
> programs for substance abusers.
Or junkfood abusers. Or people that don't exercise. Or... Or...
Perhaps the tax payer shouldn't pay for anything they don't agree
with? I don't want to fund the military for example.
Fairness would require a radical overhaul of our political system.
Otherwise we could fudge what we have. The taxpayer will pay for
my treatment when my organs fuck-up, but I'd have paid more than
them for the pleasure, because my drugs would have been taxed.
It pays for itself.
> same applies with insurance companies
> that takes the money out of the average joe's pockets and pays for the
> addict to swagger on his road to recovery.
See above.
Not all users are addicts.
Not all average joes are fit, healthy non-substance ab/users
> Treatment programs should
> not be subsidised. If one wants to die, one can spend one's own money.
Drug use is not about wanting to die, it is about a great deal of other
things.
The people so concerned about health effects of drugs might do
better to direct their attentions against pollution caused by the cars
they drive/packaging they throw away/energy they pay for/etcetcetc
Pollution is everyones concern, with a great health impact than
5000 LSD tabs.
> etc etc..One word. Responsibility. individual and personal
> responsibility for actions that one may permit to occur while under
> the influence of drugs/alcohol...
Agian, this rule must be implemented to influence the behaviour of
ALL, not just drugs ab/users.
Walpurgis
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