[lbo-talk] drugs & deaths

[Michael Dawson]

It hasn't been me doing this.  I totally agree with what you say here.  I
think drug addiction is always a problem, everywhere.  It harms the
individual and is a blockage to pursuit of better forms of happiness.  I
have no problem with the freedom to choose to be an addict.  I simply think
it's best to not let that principle become the basis for left politics
and/or public policy.  We should be rigorously honest, and offer people
help, not excuses.

P.S.  Is MJ and gateway to cigarette smoking?  All the major stoners I know
are also nicotine freaks.  What percentage of heapers also toke tobacco?  I
don't know the numbers, but I'd wager it's significantly above the rest of
the population.


> -----Original Message-----
> From: lbo-talk-bounces at lbo-talk.org [mailto:lbo-talk-bounces at lbo-talk.org]
> On Behalf Of Daniel Davies
> Sent: Monday, April 25, 2005 4:27 AM
> To: lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org
> Subject: [lbo-talk] drugs & deaths
> 
> Lots of back 'n' forth on this one; what I don't understand, though, is
> the
> implicit assumption (Michael D appears to be making this a lot, but he's
> not
> the only one) that if opiates and other drugs are "only" dangerous to
> health
> because of the prevailing social and economic conditions then they are in
> some
> way not "really" dangerous; that only things which are actually poisonous
> are
> properly dangerous.
> 
> The social conditions we have are the social conditions we have, and they
> don't
> really look like changing particularly fast.  If something's dangerous to
> Americans in the current American economy, then it's very dangerous to
> half a
> billion people and that ought to be enough to be going on with.
> 
> I suspect that it is probably "stoner propaganda" to assume that the mere
> legalisation of currently illegal drugs would bring about enough of a
> social
> and economic change to make dangerous drugs undangerous (and suspect that
> the
> example of alcohol confirms this), but if something's dangerous in the
> here and
> now, it's dangerous.  An unshielded nuclear reactor is only dangerous to
> someone without the resources to buy lead underpants.
> 
> best
> dd
> 
> 
> 
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