On Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:21:43 -0700, Patrick Elliott wrote:

> Problem, as I maybe muddled a bit in the other post where I said this,
> is there are drugs, and then there are drugs.

Sure, I don't know that I would be for legalization of heroin or crack 
cocaine.

> You get mild ones, like pot, you get the harder ones, which you keep
> needing to take more and more of, but which are fairly tame, then you
> get into the stuff where the things you describe above are the "norm",
> for when the hit starts to wear off. 

I don't know though that I buy the argument about "gateway drugs".  From 
my perspective, it's about personal responsibility and self-control.

> Those later ones are not going to
> be "better" if you make any of it legal, or give out prescriptions, or
> build something like the old opium dens, to do it "safely", etc. About
> 10% of the population have odd quirks in their biology that make them
> able to take "most" of this stuff, and walk away without needing it
> again. On the other end is the 10% that will drop dead, the first time
> they take something, the rest are like someone who intentionally jammed
> their foot in a wood chipper, because someone said it would be fun, and
> societies reaction, as a whole, to those people ranges from, "Pray and
> it will grow back, but don't go to them damn doctors.", to, "Why should
> the state use my money to give you an artificial foot, or therapy, its
> your own damn fault!" Problem with this idiot way of looking at the
> problem is, of course, if there where thousands of people missing feet,
> all over the place, it *might* just have an impact of everyone else's
> well being and safety, thus making both the "do nothing, its all in your
> mind" people, and the, "I won't pay for it!", people, all complete
> idiots. But, then.. I suppose you could just fix the problem by throwing
> everyone that is missing a foot in jail. It would be so much easier,
> even if it costs 500 times as much.

Or you could hold people accountable for their personal decisions.  They 
stick their foot in the woodchipper, fine, but that injury isn't covered 
by insurance because it's self-inflicted (for example).  Action and 
consequence.

And yes, that would have an impact on their immediate family.  Again, 
that's a consequence of their action.  My family member who went to 
prison for his DUI offense had consequences for his actions as well, and 
they affected more than him.  That's life, and he's accepted those 
consequences.

It bothers me greatly that people think there should be no consequences 
for what they do.

Jim

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