I have a feeling that the people that are promoting the end of the "war" are casual users or would like to be. Has any REAL experience with Drugs? I have - my family was ripped apart by drug abuse.
Drugs alter your brain - addiction is VERY powerful. If some drugs were legal, MORE people would become addicted and crime will go up for people to feed their habits.
"If some drugs were legal, MORE people would become addicted"
Here in Canada, the official usage rates for cannabis and tobacco are nearly the same. The latter being a legal substance. The laws aren't stopping anyone who is interested in trying the drug. Those who are not interested in trying it, still won't be interested if the laws change.
I'm going to follow your anecdote with my own, for whatever it's worth.
For decades, my family has considered various members to have been "ripped apart" by drug and alcohol abuse. As it turns out, some were self-medicating, such as the schizophrenic who went undiagnosed and unmedicated for so many years it caused irreparable damage to his brain. Others were survivors of terrible abuse who drank, used drugs, and engaged in other rote addictive behaviors to shut out the pain and demons.* While more complicated than the more physical, medical problem of schizophrenia, the fact that these mental health concerns have also gone undiagnosed and untreated is the reason the substance abuse continues.
Addiction and addictive behaviors, whether involving substance or not (and there are many horribly destructive addictive behaviors that have nothing whatsoever to do with mind-altering and/or harmful substances) are not what we were taught to think by scare tactics in school. I see a lot of commentary throughout this thread that indicates a lot of people are educated in an adult manner on the topics of addiction and substance abuse, which is great. Getting there is a bit of a challenge, though, and one you have to undertake personally. Public policy regarding drug awareness, unfortunately, still revolves around cheap scare tactics.
* Homeless street addicts use substance to stop the voices in their heads or escape great mental pain. The substances are not where the problem originated. They're simply the way the person has of dealing with those problems.
My brother is wasting his life as an alcoholic. Our current drug policy didn't help him or my family.
I have no interest in gambling, drinking, using currently illicit drugs, or prostitution. My drug use consists of over-the-counter pharmaceuticals to treat minor symptoms.
I am interested in laws that protect people from others. Some believe vice laws fall into that category. I do not.
If an adult chooses to hurt himself, that is his choice. The threat of force should not be used to stop him from doing so. We should ask the question why would an adult choose to hurt himself.
