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Until recently, I believed that drugs like Marijuana could be used responsibly, though I've never had any myself nor do I want to. I had just heard from people that they were only as damaging or less so then alchohol.

But recently, I've come to reconsider my position.

I was going through the threads in a stoner's guild, and I noticed that most of them were about getting their next hit. And, in fact, some people were talking about stealing their parent's heavy-duty prescription drugs, or shop lifting pharmaceuticals in order to get high.

And it made me think, "That doesn't sound like responsible use of drugs." I mean, if the drugs cause you to get so desperate that you are -stealing- them, even the legalized ones, then obviously there's something going on here that's worse then alchoholism.

Not to mention the way they talked about it; Before, people had said that they just used drugs on the weekend, or whatever. But in a group on MySpace, they were talking about not getting high in 4 days as though it was a tragedy.

I just think that, if drugs are causing people to commit crimes and have such a high addiction (and all the guilds and groups I've looked at were primarily about marijuana), among the small-ish group that do them while they are illegal, then it would be a disaster for them to become legal.

Just wondering what everyone else thinks about it.

See, that's what my position was; That it should basically be legal in the same way alchohol is.

But if it takes over a person's life like that, I'm not sure anymore. sad

Those people have a drug problem but it's different than an alcohol problem because the only people they can talk to about it are other druggies. Everyone else just looks at it as "either you do it or you don't, it doesn't matter how much you do." So the degree of abuse is allowed to run rampant. If legalized, and I'm only talking about marijuana because most other things actually are worse that alcohol, it will be easier to recognise those who have problems. It would also be easier to see the people who don't have a problem with it.

I mean, pot is a social drug. Most people will share just so someone's smoking it with them. So, as society tends to go, people try to act like each other or act like their idea of an ideal "cool" person. Most of these people complaining about not getting high for four days are all talk.

Pot is not as bad as tobacco or liquer. That's still true but it's also getting worse for you. A lot of people are growing cheap pot that doens't do much, so to make it more potent they add tobacco into it. That's potentially dangerous because it's a mixture of a depressant and a stimulant which can cause heart malfunctions. To make it worse, some people don't use a filter. Basically, because it's illegal, people are growing worse and worse stuff and selling it for cheaper. It's easier to get your hands on more but it's not as good so they add other things to it that make it worse. Marijuana is more dangerous illegal than legal.

Because you love the wrong things. XP

Except that my problem is that, in these forums, people are talking about stealing their drugs as though it's no problem.

Alchoholics might steal in order to get their next drink too, but you won't see a guild of liquor drinkers where one person says, "Yeah, I grabbed a couple of jugs off the shelf." As if that's an okay thing to do, and no one else has a problem with it.

I didn't say it specifically because I didn't want to offend, but yes. sweatdrop

My problem, though, is that in both those instances, I didn't see anyone tell them, "That's wrong." See, if I saw that a large percentage of pot-smokers were responsible, I wouldn't be having any problem, my view would not have changed at all. But the way I see it, we've got a small population now, and legalization would not change the ratio of responsible to irresponsible significantly.

So if there are 60% irresponsible now, with a small population, once it became legal there would be 60% irresponsible -huge- population.

And, no offense, but with your problems and the way you describe them as helping with your problems, I think you are waaay biased. I could understand medicinal use in ways like that, irresponsible use or no; If they can help people who have mental issues, then they should be permitted for them. I mean, we have plenty of pharms out there that are highly addictive, so I don't see why this should be that much different.

As for your reasons for doing drugs:
1. All druggies (Is that derogatory? Sorry if it is) say that, but all anti-drug people say that it only -seems- like your mind is open. I mean, there are rumors that the guy who wrote the "Ancient Mariner" was high when writing it, and frankly, that thing is more crazy and confused then it is "mentally enhanced." And spiritually is entirely based on opinion; Again, nonsense and confusion can seem like spirituallity when you are high.
2. Frankly, the first thought into my mind was: "That sounds like the perfect date-rape tool." Especially if the rapist is a long time user, so they can get just a little stoned while the rapee goes high as a kite, and then the rapist just has to suggest sex to them.
3. As I said above, good for you! I'm truly glad that they help, and as long as there aren't really bad long term effects, I would say that they should definitely be legalized for medicinal use.

However and speaking of which, I'm guessing that drugs are a new thing for you? So there's really no telling, so far, what the long reaching effects will be, except by judging long time users that you know?

Because the longer you use drugs, the more addicted you get, and, generally but not always, the more you have to take to get high, which equals desperation and an eventual drug-driven life, as you have to work your a** off for the money you need to buy the drugs, or you start stealing them.

"Pick-me-uppers" will never be used to "help" with any form of mental disorders. They ******** with the brain chemistry on a brain that's already ********. No credible psychologist, scientist, or whoever would EVER recommend or even suggest that someone take those types of drugs to help with their mental state.

Honestly I don't think the govenrment should tell us what we can put in our body. I believe that the drugs should be legal but used in places in which people can be watched (or in a home if you really want to be insane like that).

As long as a person isn't putting another at risk I see no problem with the drugs being legal.

So all in all no. At most the scheduling should be changed for the drugs that are VERY dangerous only be given out by DEA officers or something.

Then again the only drug that scares the s**t out of me is meth. I'd never do anything outside of my psychedelics but that one SCARES me. Mostly because of what people use to make it.