The Nation's Pulse
A Short History of Drugs
The difference between now and then is the acceptance of narcotics.
I have always felt a fondness for Richard Brautigan’s story “A Short History of Oregon,” with its Hemingwayesque language and its clever use of nostalgic understatement:
I would do things like that when I was sixteen. I’d hitch-hike fifty miles in the rain to go hunting for the last hours of the day. I’d stand alongside the road with a 30:30 and my thumb out and think nothing of it, expecting to be picked up and I always was.
“Where are you going?”
“Deer hunting.”
That meant something in Oregon.
“Get in.”
I try to imagine that scene today and in a matter of seconds, some woman is on her cell phone and minutes later the cops show up, service weapons drawn, tackle the sixteen-year-old, and throw him in the back of the cruiser.
It was a different world, but it was already changing, becoming this one, when Brautigan’s story appeared in the February 1969 Rolling Stone. There is no shortage of things to blame the changes on: welfare and out of wedlock births, the deinstitutionalization of the mentally ill, the waning of organized religion, loss of manners, the Sexual Revolution. A lot of people say it was drugs. I recently read Cormac McCarthy’s novel No Country for Old Men and came across this line of interior dialogue from Sheriff Ed Tom Bell:
I think if you were Satan and you were settin around tryin to think up somethin that would just bring the human race to its knees what you would probably come up with is narcotics. Maybe he did.
In an effort to show the moral decline of public education, politicians like to cite the infamous “School Troubles List,” a survey that compares the worst problems in public schools in the 1940s with those of the 1990s. Supposedly, in the 1940s, the worst problems were chewing gum and cutting in line, while today they are murder, rape, and drugs. The list was proved a hoax back in 1994, though it is still frequently cited as fact. McCarthy even references it in No Country For Old Men.
I am probably the wrong one to ask. I did not attend public schools, and I don’t have much experience with them beyond what I read. My son attends a top drawer Catholic high school and there seems to be a lot less drug use there than at the Catholic high school I attended in the late 1970s, when Cheech and Chong ruled the box office and the number one song was Styx’s “Light Up”:
All I need is just one hit to get me by
‘cause baby when you’re near I’m halfway high
Hoax or no hoax, things have changed. One look at the U.S. Bureau of Justice’s drug arrest statistics is enough to see that. In 1970, there were an estimated 415,600 drug arrests. By 2006, that figure had soared to 1,889,800. Same with homicides. In 1950, there were around 7,020 murders. Homicides peaked at 24,703, in 1991, during the height of the drug gang wars, and have settled at 1970 levels, still more than twice what they were at mid-century.
I AM INCLINED TO agree with Sheriff Bell. Most of the problems of modern society can be traced to one source, and that is narcotics. Whether we are talking about poor schools, white flight, high murder rates, single parenting, exploding prison populations, crack-addled babies, prostitution, organized crime, human trafficking — they all begin with the drug trade.
About the Author
Christopher Orlet writes from St. Louis.
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Billy Baker| 8.27.09 @ 7:24AM
The War on Poverty. The War on Terror. The War on Drugs. Have you noticed none of these 'War ons' ever get finished or ever get won. The War on Drugs has been particularly costly leading us to beceome the nation with more prisons and more people in prision than any other country in the world. It has fouled up our judicial system and cost up an arm and a leg. We've got cops dressing up like gang members and lurking in every ugly corner in our cities. And did you see the story that reports 90% of our currencies tests positive for cocaine. Nice going, you war on Druggies.
deburebu| 5.15.10 @ 7:37AM
I am aware of the fact that people, especially drug dealers have their own language to protect themselves for the police and traitors. I just wanted to tell you there's also a cure for drug addiction which these dealers don't know. It's about the Narconon Vistabay treatment. If you don't want the whole world to know that your child for instance is addicted then I suggest you to take this online treatment and cure him at home.
DLB| 8.27.09 @ 7:32AM
Why do you not mention alcohol, the most widely-used narcotic of all? There was a lot less "alcohol-gang" violence after they repealed Prohibition.
Knight Arrant | 11.16.09 @ 3:03AM
Move over, oatmeal. Look out, whole wheat toast. New way to fight cholesterol - and it comes not on a plate but in a glass.
The latest buzz on lipid-lowering fares involves alcohol, which new studies show can drop cholesterol.
"This study does not lead to a recommendation to consume or not consume alcohol. It does provide evidence that may help an individual make informed choices for their own health," says the study author, David J. Baer, a research physiologist affiliated with the United States Department of Agriculture's Human Nutrition Research Center.
The new research found that men and women can reduce their levels of both triacylglycerides (formerly called triglycerides) and low density lipoprotein (LDL, the "bad cholesterol" ) by drinking one alcoholic beverage (15 grams) a day.
Adding a second drink, for a total of 30 grams of alcohol a day, will increase high density lipoprotein (HDL, the "good" cholesterol).
Drug Info: therapeutic use, mental and physiological effects, treatment and rehabilitation
Andrew B| 8.27.09 @ 8:21AM
First, my comment for DLB--yes, alcohol ravages many lives (I speak as the child of two alcoholics), but there is a crucial difference that cannot be underestmated between drugs and alcohol. I can enjoy a glass of wine with dinner with absolutely no intention of inebriation. I weigh 250 pounds, and it takes a lot more than a glass of Chianti to get me buzzed.
Drugs have no reason to exist EXCEPT intoxication. Nobody cooks Beef in Crystal Meth or Coq au Coke. No healthy person toasts New Year's Eve with a syringe.
I have another reason to personally make a huge distinction between drugs and alcohol. My parents lived with alcoholism, but my brother died alone in a squalid apartment surrounded by crackpipes and rolling papers. Alcohol can be a curse, but drugs are a judgement.
Karibou Kid| 8.27.09 @ 8:43AM
The desire to alter one's consciousness and perception is part of the human psyche. This is not one of our finer traits as a species and it must be tempered with discipline to keep us from destroying ourselves and others. Most of these mind-altering substances have been around in one form or another as long as we have. The problem today is that there is too much acceptance of their misuse. Without discipline, humans are inevitably self-destructive and what we have today is a society of narcisissists who have no concept of the damage that uncontrolled drug and alcohol use will do.
Tim| 8.27.09 @ 9:15AM
The illegal drugs support a vast and profitable black market. The criminal gangs commit the violent crimes that drive the body counts. 100 years ago none of this existed, it wasn't regulated. Pols seized on it to whip up hysteria and votes.
ed| 8.27.09 @ 9:46AM
In Chicago it was commnon to carry a 30-30 on board a plane to go to Wisconsin for the weekend to hunt.
Yes, drugs have penetrated every level of society. This though is only a symptom of a country who does not know its God and so as a people are not able to do to others as they would have others do to them.
PolishKnight| 8.27.09 @ 10:18AM
Sorry, I don't buy it. Especially the example about Amsterdam where immigration has risen in recent years. The author's premise seems to be that if narcotics and marijuana were totally eliminated in our society (deux ex machina) then magically unwed motherhood would decline along with poverty, race issues, and other morality issues.
Balderdash.
Unwed motherhood in particular is rising among middle and upper class women as more women are unable to get traditional 1950's breadwinners they crave. It's as simple as that. Race issues have gotten worse since the 1960's as liberal race hustlers have added new special interest groups to the mix that have absolutely no claim on victimization (mostly non-white immigrants.) There are now race wars breaking out between these groups.
All that said, I avoid people who use illegal drugs if only because such people's lifestyle makes them untrustworthy and they put their drugs ahead of everything else. The same goes for alcoholics and gamblers. But that said, legalization of drugs would probably would out similar to alcohol: We'd still have abusers and problems but society at least wouldn't have the massive criminal underground supporting their habit and smuggling in nukes and terrorists across the border.
The wake up call| 8.27.09 @ 12:00PM
Neo-Nazi Rise In Germany Frightens Jews
Neo-Nazi Rise In Germany Frightens Jews
NEO-NAZI RISE IN GERMANY FRIGHTENS JEWS
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“THE NEO-NAZI SCENE IN GERMANY is growing at an alarming rate and becoming stronger,” reported Der Spiegel on March 19, 2009. Thus, because of the rise of neo-nazism in Germany, fear and much consternation is mounting amongst the European Jewish community regarding the rise of Neo-Nazi Youth groups.
Analysts of right extremism have warned that Germany’s Neo-Nazi scene is growing and becoming more dangerous. A major study of teenager’s attitudes published recently showed far-right attitudes were widespread among German youth. A former senior official of the Neo-Nazi movement in Germany said in a recent interview that German youth join the Neo-Nazi movement because they “want to do something for Germany.”
In an article published by the European Jewish Press on March 31, 2009, entitled, Germany Bans Neo-Nazi Youth Group, the German Jewish community applauded, (yet remains pensive), of the government’s outlawing of a Neo-Nazi group that ran Hitler Youth-style camps teaching German children as young as six years old that “Jews were a threat to the German nation.”
THE NEO-NAZI YOUTH ORGANIZATION known as, Heimattreue Deutsche Jugend (HDJ), or, German Youth Faithful to the Homeland, ran summer camps which included military-style drills and courses on racial purity, seeking to indoctrinate children with Hitleresque National Socialist ideology. The HDJ boasts of 400 members and links to the far-right political party known as the National Democratic Party (NPD).
“By organizing supposedly harmless outdoor activities such as summer camping holidays,” the German ministry of police said, “the HDJ had tried to turn children and teenagers into Nazis,” adding that outlawing the group on March 31, 2009, underscored the government’s commitment to fighting the growing element of right-wing extremism in Germany.
The ministry added that “German children of primary school age were schooled in elements of Third Reich theory such as purity of blood and the continuation of the German race with the aim of forming a Neo-Nazi elite. The youth also took part in military training and stayed in camps with names such as ‘the Fuehrer’s bunker.’” View Entire Story Here, Here, & Here.
THE JEWISH COMMUNITY THROUGHOUT EUROPE is calling for German lawmakers to ‘wake up’ and ‘ban’ all Neo-Nazi groups which have embedded themselves in the German infrastructure, especially amongst the youth. (Jews would ban every “threatening” Gentile organization in the world if they could — except for their own thousands of organizations.)
Indeed, a very nervous World Jewry is taking note that German youth are now suffering from “holocaust fatigue” due to continual studies on the so-called “holocaust” shoved down their throats ad infinitum in public school curricullums — resulting in German youth using the word “Jew” as a common curse word in daily discourse & increasingly distancing themselves from “holocaust hype.”
Yet despite financial difficulties, the Neo-Nazi movement in Germany continues to grow with its compelling lure of “holocaust-fatigued,” (& “de-Christianized,” as the Christ-hating Jews have engineered it), German youth…
yeswecan| 8.27.09 @ 12:46PM
If the "Drug War" ended tomorrow how many people (i.e.judges,lawyers,police officers,ect)would not have a job?
Tony in Central PA| 8.27.09 @ 12:49PM
If our society had stronger, healthier families and a more widespread belief in God ( the two are inseperable ) we wouldn't have much of a drug problem. We're now into the second and third generations of families that abuse drugs. We can only expect so much from law enforcement when we have what can only be described as a cultural disintegration going on. This isn't to say that laws and punishments for drug abuse are worthless, just that the little laws aren't as effective as the big law.
Jocon307| 8.27.09 @ 1:13PM
"Okay, so what is to be done?"
I'd recommend you start helping your girlfriend find a new place to live.
PM Cronin| 8.27.09 @ 2:17PM
When alcohol prohibition ended, organized crime didn't go away. Those making profits from the illegal distribution of alcohol had to find other lines of work, and did. They began to increase the importation and/ or distribution of narcotics, which has led to the problems we experience today. If all drugs were legalized tomorrow, those currently dealing them will not all become pharmacists. Most will remain gangsters, and search for new unlawful commodities in order to make illicit (and high-no pun intended) profits.
wolf| 8.27.09 @ 2:23PM
by legal drugs..you mean the gov't becomes your drug dealer...
"well, we could at least tax it .." like that will make the effects less deadly...we tax alcohol & tobacco ... see the good that does...drunk driving is on the rise...
my neighbor takes several "breaks" from work to come home to get high..he is in the rental car industry..im sure making it legal will change his behaviour..
then there is the reality few think of...its legal..and you can get your favorite brand at your local liquor/drug store...the selling price with all the govt tax etc is $20..but...being that this is america...you can get the super stuff from "freddi" in the liquor store parking lot for $10.
will this create new criminals/tax evaders/drug dealers.. of course...
so drugs will still be illegal, so to speak, it will just depend on your choice of drug dealer...will there still be violence/gangs etc involved in the drug trade...take a wild guess...(see Holland)
wolf
Bill Harris | 8.27.09 @ 2:39PM
Debaters debate the two wars as if Nixon’s civil war on Woodstock Nation didn’t yet run amok. One needn’t travel to China to find indigenous cultures lacking human rights or to Cuba for political prisoners. America leads the world in percentile behind bars, thanks to ongoing persecution of hippies, radicals, and non-whites under banner of the war on drugs. If we’re all about spreading liberty abroad, then why mix the message at home? Peace on the home front would enhance credibility.
The drug czar’s Rx for prison fodder costs dearly, as lives are flushed down expensive tubes. My shaman’s second opinion is that psychoactive plants are God’s gift. In God’s eyes, it’s all good (Gen.1:12). The administration claims it wants to reduce demand for cartel product, but extraditing Canadian seed vendor Marc Emery increases demand. Mr. Emery enables American farmers to steal cartel customers with superior domestic product.
The constitutionality of the CSA (Controlled Substances Act of 1970) derives from an interstate commerce clause. This clause is invoked to finance organized crime, endanger homeland security, and throw good money after bad. Official policy is to eradicate, not tax, the number-one cash crop in the land. America rejected prohibition, but it’s back. Apparently, SWAT teams don’t need no stinking amendment.
Nixon promised the Schafer Commission would support the criminalization of his enemies, but it didn’t. No matter, the witch-hunt was on. No amendments can assure due process under an anti-science law without due process itself. Psychology hailed the breakthrough potential of LSD, until the CSA halted all research. Marijuana has no medical use, period.
The RFRA (Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993) allows Native American Church members to eat peyote, which functions like LSD. Americans shouldn’t need a specific church membership to obtain their birthright freedom of religion. Denial of entheogen sacrament to any American, for mediation of communion with his or her maker, precludes the free exercise of religious liberty.
Freedom of speech presupposes freedom of thought. The Constitution doesn’t enumerate any governmental power to embargo diverse states of mind. How and when did government usurp this power to coerce conformity? The Mayflower sailed to escape coerced conformity. Legislators who would limit cognitive liberty lack jurisdiction.
Common-law must hold that adults own their bodies. The Founding Fathers decreed that the right to the pursuit of happiness is inalienable. Socrates said to know your self. Lawmakers should not presume to thwart the intelligent design that molecular keys unlock spiritual doors. Persons who appreciate their own free choice of path in life should tolerate seekers’ self-exploration.
Simple majorities in each house could put repeal of the CSA on the president’s desk. The books have ample law on them without the CSA. The usual caveats remain in effect. You are liable for damages when you screw up. Strong medicine requires prescription. Employees can be fired for poor job performance. No harm, no foul; and no excuse, either. Replace the war on drugs with a frugal, constitutional, science-based drugs policy.
Tim| 8.27.09 @ 3:06PM
by legal drugs..you mean the gov't becomes your drug dealer...
Nah. GW Bush and Ted K. already made Government your dealer:
True, Medicare still only covers legal "good" drugs like Oxycontin, Viagra and suicide pills. Socially acceptable pills that alleviate suffering, abort babies and euthanize costly old folks. Nothing controversial there.
BUT the last thing America needs is seniors dropping acid. Just look at John McCain...
This is why it is immoral for cancer patients to smoke dope but moral to help them commit suicide. The Drug Czar tells us that Pot is a gateway drug; wo also know that the suicide pills have no record of addiction.
Michael L. Hauschild| 8.27.09 @ 9:43PM
Tim,
You win the outstanding wordsmith notoriety of the day, very few can craft sarcasm with your skill.
Dave Lincoln| 8.28.09 @ 12:45AM
Dang, could your publication BE any lamer today? Between Orlet's complete confusion between the effect of drugs and the drug war and the kiss-ass eulogizing of the socialist Kennedy (better for all of us he's at least 6 ft under; I'd feel more comfortable if he were below the lithosphere), that's like 60 % of the articles. I hope you will have better days.
Orlet, you have no idea what you're writing about. You take one line out of a book, a novel no less, meaning fiction, and figure, "yeah, that's it.. that's what's wrong with our country." I really hope you have read enough history to know what happened during the prohibition years. I would also hope you understand that alcohol does more damage to the body and to society than pot. In addition, maybe you don't know what Coca-Cola was made from 100 years ago ("Coca", get it, "-cola"). What do you know, Orlet? I have read your articles before; 2 in 3 are decent, but that other 1/3 of them are just stupid.
The drug WAR is the problem, as others above have pointed out. Even for the hard drugs, you blame narcotics on the changes in our culture... you have the cause-and-effect wrong. The problems with the kids in school and family problems are due to a lack of discipline. Where did that discipline used to come from, Chris? Right, oh, yeah, most families used to have a father (right now 65 or 70 % of black families do not, and for others it is going up steadily).
What happened to those Dads, Chris? Maybe a significant of them are in jail due to, ohhhh, ... pot possession. Maybe the family courts are extremely out of whack and encourage women to get divorces over the slightest disagreements. Do you know anything about that, Chris. Possible some ex-Dads are in jail for more serious drug offenses, or they have lost their vehicles due to the drug war forfeiture laws and can't hold a job.
You should get into the real world, Mr. Orlet. First of all, you will notice that a LOT of people smoke pot, and most of them are very responsible people (I say this as a non-smoker (of anything)). It is their right.
.... continued in a bit
Dave Lincoln| 8.28.09 @ 1:01AM
... continued ....
The 2nd part of your article, Mr. Orlet, in which you wrote about hearing shots at your friend's house in St. Louis just proves the rest of our point, not any point of yours. The violence that we have in cities, most due to gangs, is due directly to the drug war. Where would these kids get the kind of cash to live the way they do without the drug war? Why would they scramble and have feuds over territory if there were no money involved. These drugs are inherently cheap - they are only expensive in the countries that prohibit it. Why would there be any drug lords at all, if the only mark-up they could make would be to cover the cheap labor in S. America? In fact, as bad as our economy is, the drug war just makes it worse. Americans know how to cultivate pot as good as anyone, so why send the declining-value dollars abroad? Making drugs is not one of those jobs that Bush/McCain/Obamsa say Americans just won't do, like picking crops, laying roof tiles, playing baseball, and apparently programming computers (OK, I am being sarcastic here - last sentence.). I can tell you that there would be no drug lords without the drug war.
Amsterdam is one hell of a bad example, as it's the only place in the are that does have the stuff legalized - of course every junky in Europe (and some from your hometown) will head there. Try America if you want to think of a good example, only look back 75 or 100 years.
I have no praise for the junkies, don't get me wrong. If they want to kill themselves, let them do it quickly, with no shots fired, no expensive hearings and incarcerations, and none of my vehicles broken into for the stereo. It's a personal matter. I wouldn't wish addiction to heroin on anyone, but the law's got not a thing to do with it.
You point out a lot of problems with our culture that are not due to narcotics, as you think, but due to the decline in intact families, due to a "diverse" population, due especially to years of government handouts to people, which makes a dependent population, and a terrible government school system (gotten worse since Fedzilla - DOE got involved).
Oh, and just one more contributing factor to the decline of our culture is the drug war itself.
Dave Lincoln| 8.28.09 @ 1:11AM
Tim, I also enjoyed your post.
To expound on your idea (about what McAmnesty might be thinking), how about mandatory random drug testing for all members of the Senate and House? Even better, first a drug test, than a short multiple-choice exam to prove that one has read all of the bills being debated. Then, if one cannot pass the 2nd test, that esteemed legislator should be give a DVD of all of the current CFR (Code of Federal Regulations) and a whole bottle(?) of crystal meth and 1 week to learn it or hit the streets.
dp63| 8.28.09 @ 11:03AM
Hmmm. You say in the 1940's, teh only problems kids had was chewing Bubblegum
Let's see, my father told me he got into fights 2-3 times a week in that era. My father used to brew his own homebrew as a high-schooler... in the 40's. Sounds like a bit more than chewing gum!
Let's further analyze your "cause and effect" illogic. You say marijauna (DRUGS) have been a big problem after the 1940's, and not before.
DID YOU KNOW THAT MARIJUANA WAS LEGAL UNTIL 1937? For THOUSANDS of years, as a matter of fact. Now, 60-70 years hence, AFTER IT WAS MADE ILLEGAL, more kids smoke pot than EVER.
Do yo usee a trend her? It did NOT become a problem until it was STIGMATIZED. Then, it BECAME THE PROBLEM IT IS TODAY.
Quit looking at the past through rose-colored glasses. It wasn't all that great back then. There was alchohol, there was rasicm and segregation. Many problems you read about everyday on the Internet were simply kept within communities back then.
And quit looking at cannabis as a demon. It is not. It is a gift from God. As Christians, you people should know better. You know what it's like to be persecuted. Would Jesus want us to incarcerate HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS of our own PEOPLE EVERY YEAR?
If you say "yes", you should re-examamine the Bible pal.
chen | 8.29.09 @ 1:27AM
I try to imagine that scene today and in a matter of seconds, some woman is on her cell phone and minutes later the cops show up, service weapons drawn, tackle the sixteen-year-old, and throw him in the back of the cruiser. http://www.theaf1shoes.com/ nike af1 shoes
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Bri| 8.29.09 @ 11:18AM
Decriminalization not legalazation. To many non violent offenders in jail for small amounts of drugs, how does this help that person. It only teaches him to become a better criminal, in most cases. Imagine if we did the same for all drunk drivers. 30 days in jail first itme offense? It will destroy families. Drug addiction is a disease not a criminal offense, the same as alochol. One other point, marijuana is natural, drugs like alochol and opiates are not.
Qew | 8.30.09 @ 9:16AM
The Top Ten Reasons Marijuana Should Be Legal
10. Prohibition has failed to control the use and domestic production of marijuana. The government has tried to use criminal penalties to prevent marijuana use for over 75 years and yet: marijuana is now used by over 25 million people annually, cannabis is currently the largest cash crop in the United States, and marijuana is grown all over the planet. Claims that marijuana prohibition is a successful policy are ludicrous and unsupported by the facts, and the idea that marijuana will soon be eliminated from America and the rest of the world is a ridiculous fantasy.
9. Arrests for marijuana possession disproportionately affect blacks and Hispanics and reinforce the perception that law enforcement is biased and prejudiced against minorities. African-Americans account for approximately 13% of the population of the United States and about 13.5% of annual marijuana users, however, blacks also account for 26% of all marijuana arrests. Recent studies have demonstrated that blacks and Hispanics account for the majority of marijuana possession arrests in New York City, primarily for smoking marijuana in public view. Law enforcement has failed to demonstrate that marijuana laws can be enforced fairly without regard to race; far too often minorities are arrested for marijuana use while white/non-Hispanic Americans face a much lower risk of arrest.
8. A regulated, legal market in marijuana would reduce marijuana sales and use among teenagers, as well as reduce their exposure to other drugs in the illegal market. The illegality of marijuana makes it more valuable than if it were legal, providing opportunities for teenagers to make easy money selling it to their friends. If the excessive profits for marijuana sales were ended through legalization there would be less incentive for teens to sell it to one another. Teenage use of alcohol and tobacco remain serious public health problems even though those drugs are legal for adults, however, the availability of alcohol and tobacco is not made even more widespread by providing kids with economic incentives to sell either one to their friends and peers.
7. Legalized marijuana would reduce the flow of money from the American economy to international criminal gangs. Marijuana's illegality makes foreign cultivation and smuggling to the United States extremely profitable, sending billions of dollars overseas in an underground economy while diverting funds from productive economic development.
6. Marijuana's legalization would simplify the development of hemp as a valuable and diverse agricultural crop in the United States, including its development as a new bio-fuel to reduce carbon emissions. Canada and European countries have managed to support legal hemp cultivation without legalizing marijuana, but in the United States opposition to legal marijuana remains the biggest obstacle to development of industrial hemp as a valuable agricultural commodity. As US energy policy continues to embrace and promote the development of bio-fuels as an alternative to oil dependency and a way to reduce carbon emissions, it is all the more important to develop industrial hemp as a bio-fuel source - especially since use of hemp stalks as a fuel source will not increase demand and prices for food, such as corn. Legalization of marijuana will greatly simplify the regulatory burden on prospective hemp cultivation in the United States.
5. Prohibition is based on lies and disinformation. Justification of marijuana's illegality increasingly requires distortions and selective uses of the scientific record, causing harm to the credibility of teachers, law enforcement officials, and scientists throughout the country. The dangers of marijuana use have been exaggerated for almost a century and the modern scientific record does not support the reefer madness predictions of the past and present. Many claims of marijuana's danger are based on old 20th century prejudices that originated in a time when science was uncertain how marijuana produced its characteristic effects. Since the cannabinoid receptor system was discovered in the late 1980s these hysterical concerns about marijuana's dangerousness have not been confirmed with modern research. Everyone agrees that marijuana, or any other drug use such as alcohol or tobacco use, is not for children. Nonetheless, adults have demonstrated over the last several decades that marijuana can be used moderately without harmful impacts to the individual or society.
4. Marijuana is not a lethal drug and is safer than alcohol. It is established scientific fact that marijuana is not toxic to humans; marijuana overdoses are nearly impossible, and marijuana is not nearly as addictive as alcohol or tobacco. It is unfair and unjust to treat marijuana users more harshly under the law than the users of alcohol or tobacco.
3. Marijuana is too expensive for our justice system and should instead be taxed to support beneficial government programs. Law enforcement has more important responsibilities than arresting 750,000 individuals a year for marijuana possession, especially given the additional justice costs of disposing of each of these cases. Marijuana arrests make justice more expensive and less efficient in the United States, wasting jail space, clogging up court systems, and diverting time of police, attorneys, judges, and corrections officials away from violent crime, the sexual abuse of children, and terrorism. Furthermore, taxation of marijuana can provide needed and generous funding of many important criminal justice and social programs.
2. Marijuana use has positive attributes, such as its medical value and use as a recreational drug with relatively mild side effects. Many people use marijuana because they have made an informed decision that it is good for them, especially Americans suffering from a variety of serious ailments. Marijuana provides relief from pain, nausea, spasticity, and other symptoms for many individuals who have not been treated successfully with conventional medications. Many American adults prefer marijuana to the use of alcohol as a mild and moderate way to relax. Americans use marijuana because they choose to, and one of the reasons for that choice is their personal observation that the drug has a relatively low dependence liability and easy-to-manage side effects. Most marijuana users develop tolerance to many of marijuana's side effects, and those who do not, choose to stop using the drug. Marijuana use is the result of informed consent in which individuals have decided that the benefits of use outweigh the risks, especially since, for most Americans, the greatest risk of using marijuana is the relatively low risk of arrest.
1. Marijuana users are determined to stand up to the injustice of marijuana probation and accomplish legalization, no matter how long or what it takes to succeed. Despite the threat of arrests and a variety of other punishments and sanctions marijuana users have persisted in their support for legalization for over a generation. They refuse to give up their long quest for justice because they believe in the fundamental values of American society. Prohibition has failed to silence marijuana users despite its best attempts over the last generation. The issue of marijuana's legalization is a persistent issue that, like marijuana, will simply not go away. Marijuana will be legalized because marijuana users will continue to fight for it until they succeed.
Richard Baker| 8.30.09 @ 11:02AM
My solution has been to legalize ALL drugs. Within 18 months, there will be so many overdose deaths that we'll be rid of all these weak sisters and good riddance to them. The eugenics crowd would be SO happy.
kopre| 4.22.10 @ 8:51PM
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I’ll have a Poptropica full written walkthrough very soon, but in the meantime, here are some answers to some of the frequently asked questions about Mythology Island. Having trouble? Post a question in the comments and I’ll try to answer it!
Getting Hercules to Help You
Hercules won’t help you until you have all five items from Zeus’ quest.Poptropica Once you have the five items, bring them to Athena. Zeus will appear and steal them. The big jerk! Once this happens, talk to Athena and she will tell you that Hercules will help you. You’ll need to have the magic mirror from Aphrodite because Hercules doesn’t want to have to walk. He’s so lazy!
Getting the Hydra Scale
You can see how to do this in the videos, but basically you need to jump up when the Hydra is about to strike. Poptropica He will rear one of his heads back to attack and his eyes will bulge out. When this happens, jump up in the air and then try to land on top of his head. That head will get knocked out. When all five heads get knocked out, the Hydra will be asleep and you can click on him to get one of the scales. Poptropica I’ll have a full written walkthrough very soon, but in the meantime, here are some answers to some of the frequently asked questions about Mythology Island. Having trouble? Post a question in the comments and I’ll try to answer it!
Getting Hercules to Help Yo