The War on Drugs

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 Topic: The War on Drugs

In America, the war on drugs was lost before it even began; they tried to keep people from drinking during Prohibition, which -as we all know- did not work. The simple fact is that people are going to get high, legal or otherwise. Also, most of the social harm done by illicit substances is because they are illegal, not because of the substances themselves. Used Mindfully, almost every street drug can be used for either medicinal or spiritual purposes. About the only exception is crystal meth.

Most drugs are derived from plants. Cocaine comes from the coca plant, heroin and other opiates come from poppies, and of course mushrooms and cannabis are consumed in their raw, unprocessed state. LSD is actually made from a chemical derived from fungus that grows on rye bread. So most of these drugs are made using a plant that evolved alongside humanity. Cannabis is non-toxic because it is intended to be consumed. That is how it propagates: Seeds eaten by animals and then deposited with a nice little dollop of fertilizer later on. (In contrast, meth is made by combining a laundry list of toxic chemicals, including ammonia and acetic acid. Any one of those chemicals could kill you if you got too much of it in your system or even on your skin.)

We need to finally break down and wave the white flag when it comes to drugs. In other words, we need to de-criminalize everything but crystal meth, and then find meth users a safer, legal alternative. (Ritalin?) Throwing people in jail for carrying an eighth of weed does not teach them not to smoke weed, just how not to get caught with it. Every person I have ever known who had to quit smoking pot because they were on probation (for smoking pot) sparked a joint the day after their probation was over. It bears repeating: People are going to get high. If you let them, you can tax the shit out of it and rake in the cash. Every state that has legalized cannabis has made billions in weed money. In 2023, Oregon had enough of a budget surplus that they just gave money to everyone who filed a tax return. (I am not sure if it was income-based, or what. I got about $1250.00.) And that’s just pot. Imagine how much a state could make on heroin or LSD taxes.

In most cases, getting high does no harm to anyone. The Path teaches us that our bodies belong to us, and that we are free to do as we wish with them as long as we are not hurting somebody.

Do you like to get high? What is your drug of choice?

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