So - mephedrone is going to be made class B pretty soon. Of course, this has caused a collective whinge amongst mephedrone users.
This has got me thinking about drug law in general.
Why are some drugs illegal - what they want you to think
Drugs are dangerous
I don't buy this for a second. While it's nice to think the government is looking out for our health, it doesn't make sense. To use a now clichéd analogy, let's ban horse riding too! Let's ban everything that is fun but essentially pointless.
Negative effect on society
The argument: it's not possible to be a productive member of society if you're abusing drugs.
There's an exception made for alcohol -- which we know can be extremely harmful to a person's ability to function.
There is the argument that drug users are more likely to commit other crimes. I don't see the cause-and-effect correlation worked out here -- why not "criminals are more likely to take drugs"?
The classic is the drug addict stealing to fund their habit. I know a guy who stole from his mum's purse to buy coke, and he hated himself for it. I haven't met the stereotypical smack addict who considers mugging old ladies part of their daily routine.
The real reasons
In my opinion
Politician's personal opinions on drugs[/b]
We have all met the "drugs bad!! Can't give a reason, but drugs bad!!" people. We have this drummed into us from a young age. To make it more palatable to Bluelighters -- how many people do you know who do drugs but "would never touch heroin"?. How many think that if you try it once you'll get addicted? How did they come to this conclusion?
Popular opinion
Epic font size because this is the one people seem to ignore.
I do not have a statistic for this - but I think the majority of the population this DRUGS ARE BAD. A politician has worked hard to get where they are (probably), and they want their party to stay in power, or remain in power.
I have epic font sized this because I shudder whenever I see "the government say", "the government want", as if it is some entity with a mind of its own.
Consider if an election was headed for a 50/50 split - one party wanted to legalise and regulate all drugs, and the other wanted to ban them. I'm pretty sure the anti-drug one would win. So, it's important for the current government to match the public's expectations.
So why do people hate drugs so much?
I don't really know.
The easily led probably just believe they're evil because they're constantly bombarded with the message.
But I know intelligent, thoughtful people who don't accept things at face value, and think the popular media is full of shit, yet still think drugs are bad.
I haven't yet heard a good argument for this. I've heard:
"They're dangerous!". That's not really valid, but if it were true - they should choose not to take the risk, but they should not think that people who do are *bad people*.
"It's hedonistic!". Not that exact phrase - but I get the impression a lot of people think you should work hard to be happy. Well, newsflash, the more hedonistic of the drugs (like meph) will not make you happy long term. You still have to work at that.
Some drug users would argue that their use is not hedonistic - I certainly know a lot of psyche fans think it expands their minds. I don't get on with psyches, but I can understand how they can be considered "worthwhile".
The main flaw is the people who have his attitude tend to drink alcohol and/or smoke weed. What's the difference?
"Mind altering is bad"
This is the "it's unnatural to mess with your brain chemistry" bunch.
I'll accept this argument from people who genuinely to construct their life so they only get "real" pleasure - from art, achievement, nature... I refuse it instantly from people who drink.
This is a fine argument really, but if one of my theoretical opposition party wanted to ban alcohol and caffeine, think they'd win the election? Therefore I do not think it is a majority view - I only mention it because it's the only one that holds any water to me.
What do I think?
I don't think the current government has any choice, because of the majority voters' view.
In an ideal world... I think people should have the right to choose whether or not to take drugs. This is a topic that's been covered many times far more eloquently than I can!
Would this lead to an increase in drug use? Maybe. An increase in drug users? Maybe.
An increase in addictions and drug abusers? Well, how does making a drug illegal protect people from that? It doesn't, at all!
I've managed to break free of the problem with mephedrone I originally had. However, my use has been on the increase again -- 3 weekends out of the last 4. When it's illegal, I'll follow it underground, but with less ease than filling in a 5 minute form on the internet. So I suppose in a way making it illegal will make things easier for me. And for that, mr reader, you probably hate me. You probably think I am "one of the few who ruins it for the rest of us". Sorry!
This has got me thinking about drug law in general.
Why are some drugs illegal - what they want you to think
Drugs are dangerous
I don't buy this for a second. While it's nice to think the government is looking out for our health, it doesn't make sense. To use a now clichéd analogy, let's ban horse riding too! Let's ban everything that is fun but essentially pointless.
Negative effect on society
The argument: it's not possible to be a productive member of society if you're abusing drugs.
There's an exception made for alcohol -- which we know can be extremely harmful to a person's ability to function.
There is the argument that drug users are more likely to commit other crimes. I don't see the cause-and-effect correlation worked out here -- why not "criminals are more likely to take drugs"?
The classic is the drug addict stealing to fund their habit. I know a guy who stole from his mum's purse to buy coke, and he hated himself for it. I haven't met the stereotypical smack addict who considers mugging old ladies part of their daily routine.
The real reasons
In my opinion
Politician's personal opinions on drugs[/b]
We have all met the "drugs bad!! Can't give a reason, but drugs bad!!" people. We have this drummed into us from a young age. To make it more palatable to Bluelighters -- how many people do you know who do drugs but "would never touch heroin"?. How many think that if you try it once you'll get addicted? How did they come to this conclusion?
Popular opinion
Epic font size because this is the one people seem to ignore.
I do not have a statistic for this - but I think the majority of the population this DRUGS ARE BAD. A politician has worked hard to get where they are (probably), and they want their party to stay in power, or remain in power.
I have epic font sized this because I shudder whenever I see "the government say", "the government want", as if it is some entity with a mind of its own.
Consider if an election was headed for a 50/50 split - one party wanted to legalise and regulate all drugs, and the other wanted to ban them. I'm pretty sure the anti-drug one would win. So, it's important for the current government to match the public's expectations.
So why do people hate drugs so much?
I don't really know.
The easily led probably just believe they're evil because they're constantly bombarded with the message.
But I know intelligent, thoughtful people who don't accept things at face value, and think the popular media is full of shit, yet still think drugs are bad.
I haven't yet heard a good argument for this. I've heard:
"They're dangerous!". That's not really valid, but if it were true - they should choose not to take the risk, but they should not think that people who do are *bad people*.
"It's hedonistic!". Not that exact phrase - but I get the impression a lot of people think you should work hard to be happy. Well, newsflash, the more hedonistic of the drugs (like meph) will not make you happy long term. You still have to work at that.
Some drug users would argue that their use is not hedonistic - I certainly know a lot of psyche fans think it expands their minds. I don't get on with psyches, but I can understand how they can be considered "worthwhile".
The main flaw is the people who have his attitude tend to drink alcohol and/or smoke weed. What's the difference?
"Mind altering is bad"
This is the "it's unnatural to mess with your brain chemistry" bunch.
I'll accept this argument from people who genuinely to construct their life so they only get "real" pleasure - from art, achievement, nature... I refuse it instantly from people who drink.
This is a fine argument really, but if one of my theoretical opposition party wanted to ban alcohol and caffeine, think they'd win the election? Therefore I do not think it is a majority view - I only mention it because it's the only one that holds any water to me.
What do I think?
I don't think the current government has any choice, because of the majority voters' view.
In an ideal world... I think people should have the right to choose whether or not to take drugs. This is a topic that's been covered many times far more eloquently than I can!
Would this lead to an increase in drug use? Maybe. An increase in drug users? Maybe.
An increase in addictions and drug abusers? Well, how does making a drug illegal protect people from that? It doesn't, at all!
I've managed to break free of the problem with mephedrone I originally had. However, my use has been on the increase again -- 3 weekends out of the last 4. When it's illegal, I'll follow it underground, but with less ease than filling in a 5 minute form on the internet. So I suppose in a way making it illegal will make things easier for me. And for that, mr reader, you probably hate me. You probably think I am "one of the few who ruins it for the rest of us". Sorry!