Mamma Bear,
Even though I'm on your side of the argument, I must take issue with one of your inferences, perhaps I misunderstood.
Heroin can not be used casually without fear of addiction. Of all the people I've met, on either side of the treatment isle, I've never heard of anyone who attempted to use heroin in the same way as gin or marijuana, without catastrophic results.
My opinions also come from experience and observation, while working with troubled youngsters in a rehab hospital. These are anecdotal to be sure.
So while some think they are giving up too much to the do-gooders, to admit some of this stuff has that much power over our self control, I decline.
Another point on this subject;
Addicts recruit new addicts as a direct result of the illegality of the substance. Of the hundreds I've met, they all admitted to using any means necessary to get others hooked, because they could score some freebies thereby, or because they were dealing. The only exception to this was those who were not involved long enough to develop that attitude, such as the boy who had a violent physical reaction the first and last time he experiminted with something or other, and nearly died.
I do not believe we need to concede that more addicts are inevitable if drugs are decriminalized. I think the evidence is the opposite. This is a narrow point, but a powerful one for the opposition argument, one I feel I must debunk.
Ricardo |
