dark-alias

With all due respect, just because you have never heard of this happening does not mean it doesnt. According to your profile you are 16, am i correct in assuming that. Well maybe you and your group of friends are on the right path and dont find yourselves exposed to this.

There are many many many more things in this world that are a bit more "stupid" than this. It is just kids, adults, really its indiscriminate to age doing something that will help them escape reality. For the younger group they are much more influenced by friends and trying to fit in and are all at akward stages in their life. In reference to this article this is just a medicated americas youth going with the flow.

Is this your opinion or has it been verified?

The prices you mentioned are easily affordable. Its not like these "pharm parites" are happening everyday, that kind of money is not an issue for someone who wants to use. Everyone knows this, there are ways to get what you want

dark-alias

James,

It really does happen and is quite commonplace. Its a horrible reality but the youth of america are becoming more and more liberal, i am sure there is someone here on this forum that can see the correlation between the 60's/early70's and today?

If anyone can can you please explain? (Pref. someone with real 1st person experiences and not from a book)

Southie

Even high school students have their "pharm party". I don't know if that's what they call it, but I do know they have access to prescription drugs easily. We have kids that are on prescription drugs such as Xanax. And I'm sure money isn't a problem for quite a few of the students. The majority of them work or sell drugs.

__________________
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Tronic

Legalize Marijuana and solve the problem for good. No dealers, no drug wars.

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dark-alias

I hope you were being sarcastic, because that is ridiculous!
It would not be the end of any drup war, or drug dealers becasue there is still so much more out there that people still want.

The only reason i could ever see MaryJane being legalized is b/c of its widespread usage the Gov't would like to get paid off of it and believe me they would tax the hell out of it. So instead of the Gov't spending so much on enforment they could totally switch table and see a net gain from it minus some costs for regulating.

Tronic

That may be true, but atleast that would be one less drug they would be spending to tackle.

True. So why not do it? Its less harmful then alcohol or even tobacco in my opinion.

dark-alias

IMO, if the Gov't decided to legalize MJ, it would sort of losing face with your message. They had just spent decades in a battle with MJ and then to all of the sudden legalize it sends the wrong message to the public. They are going to see it as (hey you made MJ legal, why not meth, coke, heroin and so on.) I really dont think that they will ever give an inch on drugs b/c some people will se it as a mile and take it to a whole new level

Tronic

Ok, but then the fight against the drugs should be justified. Either ban all drugs, including alcohol and tobacco, or legalize and regulate the less harmful ones. Don't see how marijuana is more harmful then alcohol or tobacco. Government has to come up with a better excuse then merely 'loosing face'.

jame$thegreat

I belong to other forums that deal directly with drug use that have a high population of avid drug users worldwide, I am a high school student who mixed himself up with the wrong people and has moved past that stage of my life. I have a bit of experience on this topic. I am sure that it does happen but, but the occurance of it is so few that it is certainly is not the killer that it is made out to be by the media.

I welcome you to name a few things that are stupider than eating a handful of prescription medication without determing what they are, how they will react with one another and the dosage.

This is from personal experience. I think it's a pretty safe assumption that a majority of teenagers do not know the exact chemical and dosage they are taking simply by looking at a pill.

That was my point.

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Sometimes things dont end up how they should, a son, a brother, a mentor, a teacher, a cousin, a nephew, a grandson and a god in my eyes.

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April 9, 1976-November 4,2005

My Brother, Always and forever

jame$thegreat

This is pretty much the point that I have been debating with members of WAB for a long time now. Everyone gets pretty riled up and no ground is won or lost. It is almost a futile argument because neither side is ever swayed. (I say this with all due respect, particularly Dalem and Tophatter who I usually argue with)

Army5339

I don't see "saving face" as a good rationale for continuing a failing policy. The United States removed prohibition of alcohol for a good reason, it was a disaster. Not only did it fail to achieve any goal that had been set for it, it actually created a load of government spending to enforce it, as well as the crime that accompanies illegal substances.

The benefits of allowing adults to consume alcohol, a drug, outweighed the drawbacks because most Americans who consume alcohol do so with little negative social effect. Some people can not handle this responsibility, and we punish them accordingly. I can handle a beer after work or a glass of dinner with wine, and would see any attempt to prevent me from doing so as an unnecessary encroachment on my liberty.

Same with tobacco. Little social risk. I enjoy a cigar from time to time. I understand the risks, and have weighed those risks against me smoking a cigar once every few months. I have decided that it is an acceptable amount of risk. I don't desire to smoke in public, as I understand that many people do not like the smell, so I am courteous about the matter. If someone wanted to tell me that, for my own good, I was not allowed to enjoy a tobacco product, I would consider it an unnecessary encroachment on my liberty.

I would strongly oppose any legislation making the consumption of either alcohol or tobacco illegal. I do support legislation outlawing the use of those products in such a manner that places others at risk. Drinking and driving is such an example.

I feel that other drugs should be viewed in a similar light. What is the social risk of their usage? Drugs such as heroin and cocaine produce such a strong addiction, that crime usually accompanies their usage, as most people can not afford to use them on a constant basis. As a libertarian I feel that people should be responsible for their actions regardless of their financial status, but I also understand the social risks of allowing the legal usage of cocaine and heroin to be too high.

All drugs are not created equal. Marijuana falls into the same category as alcohol and tobacco, and is illegal for the same reason that moonshine is illegal. Tax collection.

I have yet to hear a compelling argument of why marijuana should be illegal while alcohol and tobacco, drugs which cause large amounts of death, both to their users and to those who don't use them, should remain legal.

Not that I support people using marijuana, but I feel that they should have a choice to do so if they are allowed the choice to drink a fifth of Jack Daniels, or chain smoke a carton of cigarettes per day.

dark-alias

The gov't will never outlaw alcohol or tabacco products simply because of the lost revenue that would result from it. I know its not "right" or "just" or maybe even "fair" but its reality. There are plenty of advocacy group out there that will fight with you to the end to either legalize it all or none at all. I am in no way defending the gov'ts actions but simply bringing a different point of view.

As to the point of losing face. It is very important to them that they stay strong on an issue and not budge. PR unfortunatley has alot to do with actions of higher is this day and age.

Where has it been so widespread that this is a killer epidemic amongst our youth? Yes it does kill, and at most times it has the ability to kill. But just because something does not kill you does not mean that it cannot severly affect you and harm you (physically, mentally) or destroy that persons and there families future and reputation. There are alot more ways to look at this then just death my mates.

Lets see here....driving drunk, becoming a jihadist, injection drugs, playing with gasoline, joining a gang, to try and rollover a bank, and so on. It is still very very stupid to take an assortment of pills you do not know about, but there is much worse out there.

No you are correct they all dont know exactly the chem. balance and mg. dose, but there are a few who do and share there knowledge. or it is to easy to get on the internet and just look it up Erowid, this site will educate you and your friends!

Tronic

dark, the schematics are changing fast with time. There have been plenty of governments in the world who tried to stick with one mindset and not budge; but then they all did either budge, or fall. Remember, in order to apply laws on the public, they have to convince the public that they are good for them; this holds especially true in all democratic countries. Was reading about a poll a while back, don't know if it was an American one or a Canadian one, but it compared the results from the 70s and present. In the 70s, only about 20% of people were ok with legalizing Marijuana; the most recent poll indicates more then 40% of people ok with legalizing Marijuana. PR is not working too well, I guess. And these numbers will only grow; step into a university or a college rez, and you'll know what I'm talking about. These aren't some junkies, but future doctors, engineers and skilled professionals. Schematics are changing and it will only become harder for the governments to come up with excuses to continue to implement the ban on cannabis.

JAD_333

So long as drugs are illegal and people want to use them, the San Diego episode will be repeated over and over.

There is only one reasonable way to control drug use. Legalize it and let the government control their manufacture and distribution.

I grew up in Washington, DC, at a time when drugs were not accessible to most people and no one I knew used them. In fact, kids were afraid of them. Beer, booze and cigarettes were our illicit "drugs" back then.

Being an old guy, I have had the chance to observe drug use go from practially zero to nearly universal. I never imagined I'd see the day when national leaders and presidential candidates would admit to using drugs continue to be elected. I've also been able to follow law enforcement efforts to curb drug use grow from cops on the beat to specialized agents waging a high tech war on dealers and international drug cartels.

I've come to two conclusion: 1) If people want to use drugs nothing can stop them, and 2) agressive law enforcement efforts, for all their successful busts, cannot stop illegal drug traffic and, in fact, may actually make it more lucrative for sophisticated smugglers.

By legalizing drugs and allowing the government to distribute them we would, in one stroke, cripple the drug cartels, rid the streets of dealers, end drug related violence, empty the prisons of drug offenders, divert law enforcement to other criminal activity, allow better education of drug users, be able to offer drug intervention in a more timely fashion, eliminate the incentive dealers had to get teens hooked, help stop the spread of AIDs caused by needle sharing....etc

Government would discourage illegal drug selling by setting prices low, ensure the purity of drugs, set a minimum age for purchase, limit quantity and frequency of purchase by individuals; provide educational materials on the affects of various drugs...

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To be Truly ignorant, Man requires an Education. (Plato)

dark-alias

Okay so let all of these drugs under the sun become legal. Sure great, Big Gov't regulates it and makes a pretty penny off of it and in turn can spend it on drug awareness, regulation, clinics, and the UNEMPLOYMENT office. Do you think employers are going to want people coming to work high? Or worse getting High at work (on whatever drug, dont limit your scope of things to just MJ) Corp. are not going to change their policy on drugs. It would still be there right to enforce a zero-tolerance on drugs if they wanted to and a majority of them still would, and we would have a crisis on our hands because people would continue to fail UA's and get fired because they cant kick the habit nor do they want to because it is legal now. So welfare and unemployment wouldhurt our labor system drastically, and you would see the quality of services and goods go on a shape decline if drugs were introduced to the workplace. THINK ABOUT IT! Do you want to drop your children off at day care with someone who shoots up, and could just forget all about your children b/c there high and something really serious happens, Who is to blame? The drug is perfectly legal, and the employer would know the effects of the drug and still allowed it.

Seriously guys you would legalize drugs?