What’s my view on drugs?
Simple, I spoke pot fairly regularly. I’d say a good 30% or more of the people I know smoke pot, or have smoked pot…perhaps higher (no pun intended). I find it relaxing and conducive to jovial friendly behaviour. I can’t say that I have ever seen a person become angry, aggressive, violent or the like, while under the influence of pot.
I also am quite responsible with it, as are the vast majority of people I have ever met who use this drug. I never drive while on it. Indeed, a huge majority of people are paranoid while driving under the influence of pot…so they avoid doing so. I don’t smoke it in the presence of impressionable younger people. Virtually 100% of the time, it is either in my own home, or at a friends.
I avoid all other harder drugs like the plague. I never smoke it when something important needs to be done. I never smoke it before, during, or anywhere near work. I would never attempt brain surgery, flying a plane, operating a hand saw, clearing the dishes, taking out the garbage, or reading anything more than the TV guide or a comic strip. In short, smoking pot is suitable only for playing games, or when combined with drinking with friends, watching TV or a movie, playing cards, listening to music, making love, bantering about meaningless philosophical insights, laughing silly at stupid things, spilling things on the floor, and the like. The notion of impaired judgement and motor control being a significant drawback in various scary and dangerous scenarios misses the point: when you are high on pot, you are not the least interested in doing anything other than what I have outlined above. Well, those and of course…eating any junk food in sight. When you are high…you are not insane. No one gets high on pot and then decides to go out and fly a plane. Jesus, you can’t even play your flight simulator game on ‘easy’ without crashing every 5 seconds…and you are well aware of that fact.
The statistics on marijuana related deaths or serious injury are miniscule at best. We would be far better off banning anyone on a heart medication from driving than we are fear mongering about homicidal pot maniacs crashing their cars. Seriously…check out the stats on fatalities and injuries from heart attacks and strokes while driving. Now, I would never recommend anyone drive while stoned, and certainly, in any individual situation, I’ll take my chances on the other guy not having a heart attack, rather than someone driving while high on pot…but, despite the very wide scale prevalence of pot…we don’t actually have a serious, or even minor problem with death or serious injury. Funny how that works eh?
As for talk of gateway drugs…poppycock. Show me a valid study anywhere in the world that backs that up. It is also interesting to me that the following professions are statistically in the highest quartile of marijuana usage: doctor, lawyer, policeman, journalist, performing artist. Strange that they are not all zombies.
Soft drugs/recreational drugs…OK…your moral choice and not addictive.
Hard drugs…not OK, addictive & wasting, no longer your choice.
Legalize the soft stuff…pour the saved money into education and rehabilitation for victims of the hard stuff.
SUD