The war on drugs has created a few problems since it’s creation.
Certainly the organized crime and unregulated market has been responsible for many casualties.
The prohibition of alcohol was the perfect example except alcohol is more socially accepted.
First let me say I am not saying all drugs are good or ok to use. I am stating that because they are illegal it makes them more dangerous as they are in the hands of less then honest people adding whatever to them. The illegal nature also funds organized crime leading for the demand for illegal firearms and often leads to violent acts.
But let’s look at legal drugs.
https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/overview-alcohol-consumption/alcohol-facts-and-statistics
Certainly you can see that it’s pretty harmful. Not to mention the violent crime like physical and sexual assaults.
It’s also addictive and very dangerous to stop cold turkey.
I can understand why people would want it illegal as it falls under the schedule 1 category by definition.
(Wikipedia)
But should we make it illegal?
The prohibition of alcohol in the past has shown us that by doing so, it leads to a massive underground market making dangerous products that makes people sick, blind, and even leads to death in some cases. It also caused the rise of organized crime with massive amounts of money allowing less then honest people to purchase weapons to “out gun” the governing forces.
Now let’s look at another legal killer.
http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/health_effects/tobacco_related_mortality/index.htm
Certainly there is nothing good about tobacco. It’s extremely addictive and extremely bad for you and the people around you. Imagine what would happen if they banned tobacco. I imagine a rough and violent couple of weeks. At least a lot of grumpy people to say the least.
These two drugs people would probably agree are drugs. But by definition other things you might not think of as drugs are in fact drugs.
“According to researchers from Queensland University of Technology (QUT), excessive sugar consumption increases the dopamine levels in a similar way to other drugs such as cocaine.
The study found that long-term consumption of sugar will eventually cause a reduction in dopamine levels. That means, they say, people need to consume higher and higher levels of sugar in order to reach the same reward levels and avoid mild states of depression.”
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/sugar-has-similar-effect-on-brain-as-cocaine-a6980336.html
Sugar also leads to things like obesity and diabetes. It’s socially accepted and perfectly normal for people to give sugar to their children.
These are socially acceptable drugs and as we have witnessed they have their downside.
But what about the illegal drugs?
First I will say that I believe there are safe illegal drugs and there are harmful illegal drugs.
The harmful ones like cocaine, meth, and heroin certainly are very addictive and cause the user a whole host of problems.
But because they are illegal the risk and harm increases.
The demand for these drugs cause an underground market where cartels and gangs earn huge amounts of profits(trillions of dollars). The organized crime leads to the need for illegal firearms and deadly violence. Not to mention anything can be added to these drugs making them even more dangerous like the fentanyl epidemic sweeping the nation. It also leaves a door open to a less talked about danger. An engineerd substance could easily spread via the black market which could not only effect the user but the rest of the population in the area.
Things like OxyContin or other opiates are basically the same as heroin just a little different.
Adderall (commonly given to children for A.D.D) is almost exactly the same molecule as meth.
https://me.me/i/today-ilearned-meth-adderall-is-one-methyl-group-from-being-10660805
Other drugs like Psychedelics (magic mushrooms,LSD, Cannabis) I view as safe illegal drugs. They are not physically addictive and wrongful scheduled.
These drugs are not typically sold by the violent gangs but some problems arise form them being illegal. The market for these substances produces research chemicals trying to get through the legal loophole. This was seen during the synthetic Cannabis boom. These research chemicals do not have the same effect and can often be harmful or deadly. People have bought “what they thought was LSD” but was actually a research chemical. The problem is that LSD has a high LD50 which means you can take a lot without it becoming physically dangerous, but with some research chemicals it can be fatal at higher doses.
These drugs also offer some great medical benefits.
Magic mushrooms have been shown to successfully treat addiction, anxiety, PTSD, cluster headaches and some great research in being a possible cure to Alzheimer’s due to it’s causing neurogenisis in the hippocampus.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/23727882
People that use these substances are not typically bad people and I don’t think they should be locked in cages for doing what people have been doing for thousands of years.
These substances have great potential for advancements in society as demonstrated by the lsd microdoseing trend in Silicon Valley.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jz9yZFtRJjk
Not many people know but psychedelics are being used legally in the USA through the freedom of religion act with no problems.
I think instead of spend trillions fighting a losing battle we should invest 1/10000 of that in simple harm reduction and education on these substances. Countries that have legalized all drugs have seen amazing results and I think it’s time we discuss this.
Let me know what you think in the comments and if you have any questions or concerns I will be more then happy to provide information.
All I can say is I love psychedelics for what they have given me but more than that I am thankful for what they took away from me, it was fear of death that is now forever gone as we are all eternal in one form or another. That is only my personal view and you shouldn't be offended by it. If you are - take some shrooms and gather your tribe. Move the earth in the right way with your mind.
Peace, love, gratitude!
We definitely have a meeting coming up this lifetime dude. You speak my story once more!
You make a good case. It helps that all of the facts are on your side!
Thanks to @paradigmprospect, this post was resteemed and highlighted in today's edition of The Daily Sneak.
Thank you for your efforts to create quality content!
Thanks for featuring it onThe Daily Sneak. And thanks again @paradigmprospect
While I fully agree with your basic sentiment here, I want to share two ideas I am working on that may come as appalling to you, as your detailed article might come to those who have bought the propaganda about "illegal drugs being horrible for people by default".
For many indigenous tribes, tobacco remains one of the most essential plants to connect to mother Earth and heal the body of malicious influences, as well as being the bridge from the solid into the fine layers of existence. The process of smoking symbolizes the transformation of Earth into fine information in the form of smoke, passing the information on into the cosmos after having travelled through a human (what some have called the bridge between heaven and Earth). When I looked into it I was definitely amazed what I could find.
It's also telling once more how governments tend to seemingly disagree on so many things publicly, painting a picture of actual dialogue and honest search for the facts. The handling of tobacco however is not one of them, most countries in our societies at least do totally agree that tobacco is "bad" for people, and that putting black magic warning mantras on the packages will be somehow "good for our health". And all of us belive it! By now I suspect the story may be altogether different than what we think is a well-intentioned move to keep people safe and healthy.
Granted though - this ALL refers to natural tobacco (Mapacho etc.)!!
The stuff that factories turn out in mass today, laced with kerosin and other highly toxic materials is NOT what people have referred to in the past as the tobacco plant. And that's exactly where the confusion may come in - mixing up the plant with what the same people who now move to prohibit it more and more have made it out to be in the public eye.
This does not negate all their findings, but it could serve nicely to getting us hooked on a twisted interpretation of the plants we have available on Earth and their proper use, which - from a controller's standpoint - is much more valuable in the long run than keeping people healthy.
Naturally, this requires lots of evidence to even consider, and the evidence does exist. That certain "health agency" must be one of the worst sources for actual science. In my mind, they are one of the top moral instances of worldview we have today, leading us into fairytale land in the name of science and health. It's the people who say there is no cure for cancer, that pathogens are the cause of illness, and that vaccinations prevent anything harmful. Its existence depends on the worldview they are propogating. The list is endless. So again, while this may be all nice and accurate for chemical-laced mass-produced poisons like packaged cigarettes or homebrewed meth-poison, it may totally lead us deeper into artificial word views while we are thinking we are defending health.
Sorry for the long comment here.
I do want to emphasize that this article will be a of great benefit to those still claiming that sugar and aspartame are fine because "legal", and that anything illegal MUST be terrible by definition. That myth has the highest priority of being dismantled and your article does that perfectly. I just want to urge everyone to not get stuck there. There may be way more to uncover. that said, I still have no idea what the truth is, only that these narratives have large holes in them already.
Thanks for your important work! <3
You bring up some valid points, tobacco was treated with the highest respect traditionally and still is by traditional natives. It really comes down to respect and intent for all “drugs”. Certainly opiates have been a blessing for people who are suffering. When people start abusing these things and lose respect then the danger comes.
I fully agree. The crusade against Kratom is such an inhumane undertaking once more.
Nominated the article for curation. Let us hope more people can read it.
much love!
Thank you, I’m happy to find like minded people that know the real causes of societal problems and are coming up with solutions.
You got a 40.70% upvote and resteem from @ebargains courtesy of @psychphilosopher. Thank you for using the @ebargains UPVOTE and RESTEEM bot.
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I want shrooms for depression
I will be posting later on how to grow your own or properly identity wild actives.
You have to keep everything sterile which is a hard thing to do, its cheaper and more discreet than growing (indoor) cannabis though.
Correct, I’ve taught a few people how to cultivate their own. I’m Suprised truffles are not more popular. You can get a bag of pre-sterilized grain or do it yourself and knock it up and your done. Just leave it in a closet for a few months to form sclerotia and harvest when ready.
If you have the proper climate you can also use wood chips for the more potent ones and add them to your landscaping around the house. Nobody would be the wiser and it’s extremely difficult to make a case out of that.
What type do you grow?
I’ve grown quite a few different species.
I don’t cultivate anymore and rely on my outdoor spots. I got pretty good at growing cubensis. Have some pretty good pics.
There is no way that top graph is accurate; benzos, methadrone, methadone (which is pretty much a synthetic opiate), and ketamine are way more dangerous than cannabis. Is this graph about public perception or something, what is it based on, where is that data from?
It’s a bit complicated. The graph factors in things in besides the actual danger of the drug like getting arrested or getting harmed during buying. He was fired because the study showed that Cannabis was harmless but making it illegal actually makes it dangerous. I put a link under it but I guess it didn’t post. You can check it out here.
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-11660210
Ok, that definitely clears things up a bit. Pretty much the only danger of cannabis is the danger of incarceration.
Exactly, there are other things to factor in based on illegal status that add to the danger like an illegal market, improper growing/handling, and the rise in synthetics. But getting locked in a cage is basically the major harm.
I think they should. In fact I wrote a little post just yesterday where I argue that getting high is a human right. It is, sadly, still a hard sell for most people. I do think we can make progress on the issue of drug law reform if we make an effort to tailor our argument based on who we are making it to. If it is someone on the right I might make a freedom based case or if it is someone who is all about social justice I might make a consent based argument and so on.
Anyway, good post I was already following you but I up-voted it for what it's worth.
I will look for it. I think as people take the time to look at the data the will wake up a bit. It sounds crazy because we have had years of people telling us how to think. But in the end the numbers and facts don’t lie.
Thanks. Truth.
That's a lot of data. In my dream world, people would just recognize that the government has no legitimate basis for regulating what people do to themselves... so drugs would have never been outlawed in the first place.
I agree, as long as someone is not hurting others they should be allowed to do what they wish. I do feel that people should be aware of risks and dangers but certainly not caged.
Hey mate this is an awesome well written post. I've done one similiar a few months ago but this is very well done, upvoted and resteemed. I actually found this while looking through the upvote section of PAL looking for plagiarism n shit haha so good job
Thanks, I’m not the best writer and should probably switch to videos but I’m more interested in the message. I hope to improve with the writing. Do you have a link to your post? I always like to look at the different perspectives on the subject. Helps me get a better understanding and build stronger case.
nah was really well written. um somewhere i'll go for a scroll lol
SON.....There are times for usin' Drugs....
"
And times for not usin' Drugs.....
And SON!!!......
We gonna use some RIGHT NOW!!! .......... LOL...Just Kidding
"Doctor Demento
😂awesome
We microdose for seasonal depression (North Scotland), it's illegal, so we don't broadcast it. There's more info on reset.me. In UK, The Beckley Foundation, & Davis Nutt, are the forerunners, Open Foundation in the Netherlands & John Hopkins University & MAPS, are in USA. Please be careful, & make sure you either enter into a clinical drug trial, in a safe environment, or you REALLY know your shit. Erowid.org is a good tool for researching illegal drugs, check out the experiences BEFORE trying anything new.
Solid advice, I have used mushrooms occasionally for depression and increasing creativity. I have a FB group psychedelics and philosophy where we discuss psychedelics and how to safely use them. A lot of stigma surrounding them and their not something to be abused as an abuser will find out.
IMHO yes. Everything is for humans. If you use drugs responsibly, then I see no problem with that. Also - it's easier to control drugs usage when everything is legal, rather than trying fight the underground.
The ungrounded market causes all sorts of problems. The amount of ODs in the USA would drop dramatically if it was coming from a regulated market. Drug dealers only care about money and are cutting harmful drugs with deadly substances.
Exactly. If market would be controlled by law, then drugs might become "safer" e.g. there will be no contaminated drugs.
It is our mind's tendency to try everything which is considered illegal and unaccepted because breaking laws gives it a sense of thrill. Mind is a complex thing. It runs towards things which are difficult to get but it also happens that when a thing become easy to get, our mind begins to ignore it. I think the same thing happens with drugs. As narcotics are very difficult to get and a sense of thrill is associated with their consumption, people, especially teenagers easily attract toward them. Also, narcotic drugs are part of a big underworld business which earns a huge profit every year worldwide because the scarcity of narcotics make them highly profitable. When this thing become legal people won't be attract to it easily and also this will not remain a profitable business. Once profit is disassociated with this business, the empire of drug cartels will collapse. I may be wrong but the governments don't have any alternative either.
Worked well with Portugal. Teen drug use declined as well as HIV/AIDS while people seeking treatment doubled.
It’s slowly losing it appeal. I think we could use this as an example to follow or even improve upon.
http://content.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1893946,00.html
Your are absolutely right.
@earthnation #boost EQK
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