AU - The great debate that no one's talking about

[edgarshade]

Sydney Morning Herald

December 3, 2011

About 7 million Australians take recreational drugs but no one will talk about it openly, writes David Marr.

"What's wrong with taking drugs?" I was losing my temper with the ABC journalist Peter Lloyd at a book event in Sydney. The poor bastard had endured months of imprisonment in Singapore for possessing half a gram of ice and written a fine account of his ordeal, Inside Story. But I felt there was a false note at the heart of the book.

Lloyd wouldn't admit he had enjoyed drugs. Over and again he used the earnest formulation that drugs were his way of dealing with the stress of covering grisly stories in Asia.

"I've had a lot of fun on drugs," I answered. "I've had a lot of marvellous experiences. I've danced a lot. I've had a great time. I'm not ashamed of it. And I don't see what's wrong with it."

Lloyd replied: "Take News Limited out of the equation and you probably can talk about it fairly." He accused News Limited newspapers of being "the driving force behind moral panic in this country. Join with them commercial television: Channel Seven, Channel Nine and Channel Ten. I've worked at two of those places. They drive moral panic and the agenda they have is set by The Daily Telegraph and The Herald Sun in Melbourne. Take them out of the equation or stop listening to them – if politicians would stop listening to them – then we wouldn't have the moral panic we're talking about."

http://www.smh.com.au/national/the-great-debate-that-no-ones-talking-about-20111203-1ocag.html

 

[pkt]

motherfucker should be more like charlie sheen who referred to his experience with crack and abuse as "epic".