Are you including ALL drugs in this condemnation? Such a broad-sweeping
generalization is almost sure to be incorrect. Aren't there *any* drugs that
you would say have a positive effect, when used properly?
Talking about the crack problem, Elizer states, "The problem lies not within
any humans but within the chemicals making up crack and the plants producing
cocaine."
Are you saying that people aren't responsible for becoming addicted to crack?
My opinion is that most people who are addicted to crack had some serious
psychological problems before they ever used crack. I have a hard time
believing that someone with a healthy psychology would become addicted to such
a harmful substance. I myself have used crack several times one day,
experiencing what I thought was a very mild effect. This may have been due to
the fact that I was aware that the man administering the drug was wanting to
have sex with me and I was wanting to prevent myself from being taken
advantage of, so I didn't allow myself to experience any overpowering effects
from the drug. The point is that crack was unable to take over my mind,
because I was unwilling to allow it to. The problem of crack addiction lies
*almost entirely* within the humans who allow themselves to become addicted.
It is not the cocaine that takes over their mind; if they didn't have the
drug, they would find some other way to fuck themselves up. These people are
living depressed, miserable lives; of course they want to "escape" that with
drugs (which, of course, just make their problems worse). The drug problem is
first of all a psychological problem. People are fucked up *before* they get
into drugs (and more so after). That is the problem we must deal with; the
drugs themselves are not the main problem with the drug problem.
Many people are depressed and have no real desire to live, and their children
are raised to be the same way. This is the root of the drug problem. People,
in general, don't know how to live happy, fulfilling lives -- it is a skill
that requires much personal discipline, and people simply aren't trained with
that skill, in general. There is very little in our society which teaches
people the intense personal discipline required to live a happy, fulfilling
life. Most people in our society don't even view happiness and fulfillment as
the result of personal discipline; most people don't think it's something they
can learn to control and create in their own lives; happiness to them is an
elusive quality that comes and goes unpredibtably. Until people learn the
skills required to live a happy fulfilling life, the drug problem will never
go away. Even if we could somehow get rid of all drugs, people would still be
fucked up, until they learn personal discipline and learn to take personal
responsibility for and control of their own lives and minds.
Drug abuse and drug addiction are the results of much deeper problems, which
have nothing to do with drugs.
- David Musick
-- *Drugs* are not a real threat to humanity, but the people and systems
which turn humans against each other *are*. --