From: niepornt@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (David Marc Nieporent)
Subject: Re: BUTANE - WHAT THE HECK?
Originator: news@nimaster
Organization: Princeton University
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1992 17:05:46 GMT

In a9210091658.AA00266@helium> dolan@nrlmry.navy.mil (Kent Paul Dolan) writes:

>TomF quotes a bit about butane sniffing, and claims that what he quotes
>leads him to favor drug legalization.

>Which reminds me of the family of seven my wife treated. Too poor to
>afford street drugs, they were addicted, down to the three year old, to
>sniffing gasoline.

>Suuuure we need to make even more drugs available cheap and easily accessible.

And *your* solution?  Why, ban gasoline!

This example just shows the moral and legal bankruptcy of your
technique.  People who want to get high *will,* no matter what laws are
out there.  You can't ban all substances that might get people high,
and even if you could, you couldn't enforce it.

All you're doing is making it harder for them to get safer drugs, like
marijuana, forcing them to resort to one of the more dangerous forms of
drug use.

We won't even mention the fact that "addiction" hasn't even been proven
to exist.

>To the ninnies who contend that drug use is price insensitive, so that
>cheap, legal drugs will not involve more widespread substance abuse,
>may I recommend the latest Navy Times. Seems the military have a _much_
>better way of tracking drug use changes, what with random and frequent
>drug testing, than "researchers" who trust self reporting to be valid;
>and the article notes that the recent fall in the street price of
>cocaine has been exactly reflected in a rise in the positive urine
>tests for cocaine. This among folks who are threatened with loss of job
>and career, possible imprisonment, and guaranteed to be caught; people
>experiencing among the strongest reasons for avoiding cocaine use.

>What do you think the result would be among those facing no such sanctions?

>Can you say "substance abuse explosion"?  Only if you can think, I suppose.

I could say that, but I won't.  The evidence in countries where drugs
were legalized does not substantiate your claim.  (Would *you* go out and
start snorting coke if it were legalized tomorrow?  *I* wouldn't.)

You also didn't prove that these military people were *abusing* drugs.
Just that they used them.  (Assuming, of course, that these drugs tests
are accurate, which isn't too likely, given the evidence I've seen.)

But again, this just proves the futility of your argument.  If people
who want to use drugs ALREADY use them, despite severe penalties, then
what makes you think that many other people would start?  It's much more
likely that the type of people who are likely to use drugs are already
using them, as much as they can afford.

And if they want to use drugs that badly, how/why should we stop them?

>Ignore the header, and don't expect me to see a news reply.  We don't get news.
>Use email to: <dolan@nrlmry.navy.mil> or <dolan@192.138.87.240>

-- 
David M. Nieporent   | Orioles 1993 World Series Champions
niepornt@phoenix.    | Mike Mussina 1992 AL Cy Young Winner
   princeton.edu     | Roland Hemond: SIGN BARRY BONDS!!!!!!!!
Vote Clinton/Gore '92.   Four more weeks!!!   		"Bloody urine"