From: lamontg@stein.u.washington.edu (Lamont Granquist)
Subject: Re: SHEEP CORPSES MAKE THE BEST LAYS
Organization: 'Operation: Mindcrime'
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 03:50:11 GMT

cblanc@pomona.claremont.edu (Muffavore) writes:
>> First logical error -- assuming your conclusion.
>> 
>> Rather than asking "would legalization of drugs lead to worse consequences?",
>> the conclusion is assumed and stated as "since drugs are so destructive,
>> of course legalization would lead to worse consequences."
>
>	Drugs are a tool -- destructive is the mind of the user if the drug has
>adverse effects.  This is excepting some of the narcotics such as cocaine,
>which seems to be evil even in its most benign forms.

Like coca tea?  My mom lived with a peruvian coca tea addict for a few years
and the person had no troubles other than some mood swings, insomnia and
a tendency to leave the teapot on and burn out the stove...  It didn't seem
very evil at all...

>> |>negatively affects the mind as well. Alcohol and cigarettes kills more
>> |>people than illegal drugs precisely because they _are_ legal - because
>> |>so many more people use them. We have more public health problems than
>> |>can presently be handled as a result of alcohol and cigarettes.
>> |>Legalized drugs would overwhelm our public health system.

Alcohol and Tobacco cause more deaths because...  a:  alcohol causes liver
cirrocic and car accidents while b: tobacco causes lung cancer and other
lung problems.  Cocaine only kills 6,000 out of 5,000,000 yearly users (a
smaller ratio than EtOH or tobacco) because it doesn't have nearly the
long-term toxicity that EtOH and tobacco do, and it doesn't cause people
to fuck up when they drive...

>> |>and then they are carefully regulated, requiring prescriptions from
>> |>licensed physicians. It is only because of their medically beneficial
>> |>effects that they are allowed. What possible beneficial effect is there
>> |>from marijuana cocaine, [sic] LSD, PCP, or heroin to justify legalizing

What benefit does the legalization of EtOH and tobacco have?  It eliminates
the black market and all the crap associated with it...
 
>> In addition to what Sameer has mentioned, LSD has been used successfully for
>> treatment of alcohol addiction and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder.
>
>	Alcohol addiction treatment?  Think it's bullshit, but it's a nice
>idea.  Regardless, LSD has recreational uses; who is the government to tell us
>no?
>	PTSD perhaps.  Sounds like risky treatment, though.

PTSD is probably better treated with MAOIs.  And Solomon Snyder wrote that
the LSD + Alcoholism issue had been layed to rest as not producing any more
efficacy -- no citation, but I tend to trust him.

>> |	I think that PCP is used as an anesthetic in veterinary
>> |medicine. (I could be mistaken.)

No, Ketamine is.  Rather similar however.  Ketamine is also used in
treating burn patients if memory serves....

And a logical, coherant "drug strategy" is to stop the *primary* cause of
drug abuse/addiction which is psychosocial stress and psychological illness.
Focus on social reforms, better treatment of psychological illness, and the
pharmacotheraputic model of drug treatment and I'll bet we'd accomplish much
more than prohibition.  Take that $60 billion and do something useful with
it that might actually work...

-- 
Lamont Granquist  lamontg@u.washington.edu
  "When dogma enters the brain, all intellectual activity ceases."
                                      -- Robert Anton Wilson
Newsgroups: alt.drugs