Friday, February 1, 2008

Higher and Higher

Drugs.

They're bad for you.

I'm happy to say I've never taken any, though I have been offered them many times, and I have seen the effect of drugs on others. It's not pretty.

However, I have a thought that drugs should perhaps not be illegal, and here's why:
most if not all the people who do drugs are bad people anyway, and if they are willing to ruin their brains, why should I stop them? if some meth addict wants to kill himself, why should I stop him, he's only harming himself? Now, you may note this seems in contradiction to my earlier treatise on gentlemans' duties. Yes, in a way it is, however, it is exceedingly difficult to pity those who are fully aware of what they are doing. I would certainly help those who were tricked into doing drugs, or even forcibly dosed, but I, in my real heart of hearts, would have difficulty helping someone who choose freely to fry their brain. I really have no respect for people who do not use or even acknowledge their ratio. It seems they have chosen to disregard their rights as humans, but disregarding the thing that makes them human.

So, basically I am just ranting against drugs right now. They are awful, but perhaps it should be legalized to raise awareness of how awful they are, and thus more people would avoid them in future.

Maybe. we'll see. I am predicting some serious issues arising from the marijuana legalization in california.

so, when you get massive drug wars in the streets in 2050 after the legalization, I want you to know I called it.

The Thinking Skull

8 comments:

Tony Pistilli said...

There are good people who do drugs. Drugs aren't the best way to make yourself an upstanding citizen, but there are people who would never break the law, other than doing drugs.

And you need to remember, not everybody is as self-knowing as yourself. Were lucky to go to a school that teaches us how to think. Peer pressure overrides sane thinking at times, and while I'm not condoning it, we all do things that we then wish we didn't do. If I was in 9th grade and somehow drugs were going to integrate me into a certain social group I would have been dumb enough to do it. Thank God I didn't have to make that choice. Drugs are more habitual than other things. You only have to make the mistake once to make the second time harder for yourself.

Not all people who do drugs are stupid either. They are not smart neccesarily, but doing drugs isn't easy in todays society. A high school kid needs to buy the drugs, hide the drugs, do the drugs and pass a drug test without getting caught by the police, teachers, parents, other kids (like the recent Facebook "scandal") ext. If you allow a differentiation between smart/stupid and good/evil, that kid is smart.

John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker... these guys all did drugs and they were amazing (as a side note, it is very difficult to see those musicians as worthy of immitation musicaly without somebody saying "He did drugs. GASP". Maybe drugs aren't seen in the light you shed them in by most.) There is a story that Charlie Parker was to drunk/high to stand up straight during a recording session. He had to be held up and many say it is one of his best albums.

I agree with you, drugs are awful. Drugs don't make you John Coltrane. There are no excuses for doing drugs. The thing is the gravity of the subject sometimes clouds what is really going on.

MaddenLikesChickenwings said...

I guess I don't really see how legalizing drugs would raise awareness of how awful they are. plus most people already know what drugs are capable of (D.A.R.E. anyone?) they just don't care. Drugs suck and people who need them to have fun should figure it out; play catch, a video game, or blow something up, but I doubt legalizing drugs is the solution.

Legalizing narcotics would, in my mind, be similar to how society lead up to legalized abortion. First birth control was widely accepted with the help of people like Margaret Sanger, eventually this leads to the degradation of human life and the legalization of abortion. I don't know what your views on abortion are, but it shows how giving in a little can lead to a complete meltdown. I don't think legalizing marijuana would be such a terrible thing, as I've heard many times that it is less hazardous than tobacco. The problem is that when this is conceded it opens the floodgates to larger things like cocaine. I think we can all agree that such serious drugs should not be tolerated. They can ruin lives on the first use, or at least thats what Deputy Steinglein told me in my D.A.R.E. class.

Anonymous said...

"he's only harming himself"
I really like your post. But I have trouble agreeing with you on this note. As I'm sure anybody who has ever lived with a druggy would say, people who are drugged up tend to do bring down everyone around them. Look at PCP. Even the most sane person can dose on PCP (but then they probably aren't sane, are they?) and they will tend to get violent. Even if the drug does not make you violent, it does drag down our society. Imagine if half of society was on drugs. Those who are not on drugs have to endure the druggies. Toxins from the production of meth is an example. I am going about my business in my apartment. Little do I know that Joe Schmoe in the apartment below me has a meth lab. I get sick and die. Did I really deserve that? On another note, drug addicts will need money. Now, they will either steal that money or work for it. It's obvious why you wouldn't want a bunch of people taking your money from you (at least it whould be), but let's discuss those who work for it. If we have a bunch of druggies working in everyday jobs (drycleaning, fastfood, carpet cleaners, garbage men, taxi drivers, police, teachers) would you really want someone with a fried brain ensuring that our society runs smoothly? Would you send your kids (let's say you don't know something you want them to learn) to school in the care of someone that might be on PCP, or pull out a crack pipe and start puffing away right in the middle of class, blowing all those toxins on your beloved child's face. OR how about the police, if all the police did drugs and repasts, murderers, bank-robbers etc. weren't on drugs, what would be more likely to prevail: justice or anarchy? So, it is my conclusion then, that drugs are band in any society, even if I am not the one doing them.

Tony Pistilli said...

Mr. Lasseter said (in short) that if God didn't exist why would you not lie, steal, cheat ext.

If laws didn't exist why wouldn't you do drugs? How many people avoid abortion because it is wrong yet legal? They wouldn't avoid drugs because they are wrong, yet legal.

Skull said...

first of all, maria, please don't use real names. use handles. that's proper etiquette online. secondly, it's 'etc.' not ext. 'ext' means extension.
third, when did I mention God as a source or related to drugs??

Tony Pistilli said...

I apologize for my bad etiquette and typos.

Point is that if nobody is watching over your shoulder many people aren't going to feel any obligation to do what is right.

If there isn't a God, they won't follow his rules. If there aren't laws, they won't follow them. If the teacher doesn't say "don't cheat" they'll cheat. If Mr. F (for lack of a witty online title) didn't say "Go to mass on Fridays" we wouldn't. (Pardon the excessive use of contractions)

Humans are essentially selfish, and unless there is a motive to be gained from them doing something (such as not ending up in jail or detention) they will not do it.

If drugs were legal you would take away the biggest incentive for most people not to do them. Society will quickly crumble if even half of teenagers are using drugs unrestrictedly.

God was only an example to explain my concept.

Unknown said...

I understand what you are saying, but I don't think most sane people could follow your thinking. Who is to define who is good or bad? Everybody stumbles now and then and we all make mistakes. If some people lead lives that seem sad and pathetic by the use of drugs, should we not have compassion for them? What if one of those users was your mother, father, brother, or sister? Even if they willingly decided to do drugs, wouldn't you help them? Legallizing drugs, I just think the cost would be far too great.

Tony Pistilli said...

Are you saying we are essentially withholding charity if we don't help them rohit?

If so, I agree with you.

Reading about the life of Chet Baker over break I realized that he never wanted to kick his heroin habit. So what do you do with people who don't want to help themselves? Letting them die doesn't seem Christian, but what hope do you have of helping them.

Its like giving the alcoholic begger money to get a job. Your money is going to waste. Yet letting him die doesn't seem a solution either.