Sunday, July 26, 2009

The Truth About Drugs

I, like many other people, remember that throughout elementary school, my teachers would say that, "drugs are bad". Guest speakers would come into school and tell me and my classmates that "only bad kids do drugs". They would tell us that doing drugs would ruin our lives and drug-users undoubtedly end up dead or in jail. Well, my teachers and these guest speakers were full of feces. The War on Drugs is dumber than Ayiia from the Real World.

Many of my friends have done drugs; some have done a whole lotta drugs, including marijuana, mushrooms, ecstasy, speed, LSD, cocaine, and probably a few others (I don't think any of my friends have done crystal meth or crack. I guess I hang with the high-class drug users). Most of my drug-using friends are successful college graduates. None are in jail. I am aware that some people become addicted to drugs. I am aware that people die from drug abuse. I am also aware that most recreational drug users never die, end up in jail, or become addicted.

We shouldn't outlaw drug use because some people can't handle their shit. We don't outlaw alcohol just because there are alcoholics. People argue that there would be many more drug-related deaths if we legalized drug use. First off, I don't think most people refrain from using illicit drugs because doing drugs is against the law. I don't think many people say, "I really want to do heroin, but I'm not going to because that shit's illegal." Secondly, I would accept a few more drug-related deaths if I could buy weed from 7-11. That may sound insensitive, but keep in mind that there would be far fewer car-related deaths if we outlawed driving. Freedom has a price that I'm willing to pay. Call me Uncle Sam.

The anti-drug campaign is so utterly dishonest, patronizing, and ridiculous that it makes you laugh, until you realize that our government spends millions of dollars to produce commercials that infer that smoking marijuana can cause you to run over a little girl riding her bike. The government tells our youth that if you try drugs, you will end up being a 40 year-old man who has poor hygiene, no education, and lives in his parents' basement. Or, you will be supporting terrorists. Or, you will accidentally shoot your friend. Perhaps we should shoot the people who make these commercials.

People want to neglect the fact that using illegal drugs can have positive effects. Marijuana can alleviate nausea or make generally unhappy people just a bit happier. Artists, musicians, comedians, etc. claim to have drawn inspiration from the effects of illegal, mind-altering substances. Sure, many of our favorite entertainers have died prematurely due to drug abuse, but if they had never tried drugs, would they have been able to create art of the same caliber? Here's a list of people who have owned up to past drug use: George Clooney, Barack Obama, Ben Stein, John Edwards, George W. Bush, and recently, LeBron James. None are living in their parents' basements and none have shot their friends (I don't know if Dick Cheney has admitted to trying drugs).

Typically, drugs only pose a serious problem when they are used in excess. However, doing anything excessively is generally bad. Too much fast food, shopping, gambling, or masturbation can have severe negative consequences. Actually, excessive masturbation is not that bad, but personal research has shown that masturbating more than four times a day is probably unhealthy.

So, let's stop the madness of our War on Drugs. Future generations are going to mock us and laugh at our uptight, nonsensical views on drugs and our draconian drug laws. We will be viewed as we view Puritans who spoke out against dancing, as we view current Christian wackos who believe they can "convert" homosexuals (these "converters" are always closeted gays). I don't think that we should all use illicit drugs, but I believe that we should have the right to do so. Just like we have the right to do other dangerous things like marrying a crazy woman, jumping out of an airplane, and wearing an "I LOVE GEORGE W. BUSH" t-shirt in San Francisco. Now, I'm gonna stop my preaching and do something productive. Later.