From: dan@wookumz.gnu.ai.mit.edu (Dan Parmenter)
Subject: Re: Drugs
Organization: /home/fsg/dan/.organization
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1992 17:26:13 GMT

In article <1992Nov6.224043.10245@mnemosyne.cs.du.edu> ahawks@nyx.cs.du.edu 
(marvin the martian) writes:

   Here in America, crack is looked down upon by the general society as
   well as by most general casual drug users, and coke and speed are
   generally considered "hard rugs" and thus looked down upon as well.. 
   America seems to associate coke with the greed of the 80s, heroin with
   the darker 60s underground, and speed in much the same vein (no pun
   intended)... And, of course, PCP and crack seem to also be associated
   more with the "inner-cities", where one would get the picture from the
   popular media that drug use is rampant and unctrollable....

A lot of the way that drugs are perceived in this society depends upon
which strata of the drug-taking culture you ask.  For example, it is
said that one in four adult women have been on valium at some point or
other.  I can assure that much of this valium use would be considered
"recreational" and probably be blamed for the downfall of society if
teenagers were taking that much Valium.  

By the same token, people in our society often save percodans or
stronger painkillers (that may or may not be opiate-based) that have
been prescribed after an injury and use them for trivial or even
"recreational" purposes.  Yet actual heroin is thouggh of as the worst
of the worst, even by a significant portion of the casual
illegal-drug-taking population.  There are plenty of people (many on
alt.rave, I can assure you) who smoke pot and trip regularly who will
speak out on the absolute evil of heroin.

   The only drugs (other than caffeine, prescription, etc.) that are
   judged less harshly are extacy (we usually call it X over here - bunch
   o crazy yankies, I guess....or MDMA), lsd, and maybe nitrous (but the
   unfortunate deaths of some users have curtailed abuse of it, thank
   God)... 

This is once again, your perception.  Nitrous deaths generally involve
some extraordinarily stupid behavior, such as doing it alone, or
attempting to move around too much or putting the bag over one's head
and not breathing oxygen.  Used responsibly, Nitrous can be a
wonderful "toy drug" for people who want a quick, clean "trip" that
can be contained in a few minutes and leave virtually no ill side
effects other than some thirst.  More experienced users report
remarkable self-reflective experiences after heavy use and it is said
that few things are more surreal than the conversations of heavy
nitrous users after several hours of exposure.  

   Oh, and pot of course - drug of choice for most Americans....

Not coffee? :-)  

   These drugs are more popular not only in inner-cities but also in
   suburban and rural communities, typically among teenagers
   (stereotypically)

Pot is ridiculously broad-based in its popularity.  Use among
adults is widespread enough that we now have inter-generational drug
use in some communities.  One finds users in every field, at every age
level.  The typical pattern seems to be casual to heavy use in high
school and college which later tapers off for most; however, there
will always be a steady supply of lifers, whose attitudes about it
grow more philosophical and who may quit for years at a time...but
always seem to come back to it eventually.  

   IMHO, LSD is probably more popular than pot these days, at least in
   the community I live in....LSD seems to be enjoying an amount of usage
   not seen since the 60's.....

I'd agree.  I'd be curious to know about dossages though.  Tolerance
is highly individualized with all drugs.  Some people can just kind of
buzz along nicely on a single hit, say 75 micrograms, whereas others
on the same dose will be on their backs, contemplating the ceiling
cracks for hours on end.  Also, psychedelics seem to have a strong
rebound effect, just like nasal spray.  People who trip once or twice
a week (or more) don't really seem to get as much out of it, although
once again, this is highly individualized.  

   As far as drug dealers go, some of the heavily populated urban areas
   have gangs, and in those areas you are likely to have hard drug use
   and dealing, and one would not want to walk up to an individual who
   fits the stereotype of a gang member and attempt to sell a lot of
   crack or something....Most of the people in America, I would guess (at
   least most of the suburban people we center our society around) if
   they have any contact with drug dealers at all, it would be lsd or
   pot, and maybe cocaine depending on who you choose to associate
   with...

Most people who use illegal drugs regularly, seek a regular source, and
many are lucky to find them.  It's always been this way - in the
prohibition era, my grandfather had a "dealer" that he always went to
for his liquor needs.  

   Despite the media's attempts to label the United States as a nation of
   drug-addicted kids (usually African-American youth) who go around
   shooting each other and strangers, that is simply not true.  Most of
   America does not use drugs (excluding tobacco and alcohol and
   prescriptions and caffeine).  

But most of Maerica DOES use drugs - the very ones you mention.  The
problem is that most Americans don't understand that the difference
between legal drugs and illegal drugs is rarely reflected in the
legal code, which is to say that a dangerous and addictive drug like
alcohol whose withdrawl symptoms are worse than heroin and whose
effects can be frightening and dangerous is percieved by most
Americans as acceptable, whereas an innocuous, non-addictive drug like
marijuana is perceived as deadly scourge of our nation's youth. 

   I hope this helps and I hope it dispells some myths as well.  The US
   is not a playground for drug dealers, and in some instances the
   country is very serious about winning the "drug war".  In other cases,
   use of light drugs is frowned upon (meaning alcohol, tobacco, and
   possibly marijuana) but enerally does not encounter the same penalties
   as hardcore drug dealers dealing hardcore drugs.

The drug war is univerally regarded as a dismal failure.  It hasn't
changed a damn thing.  Most of the crime and death associated with
illegal drugs is a consequence of their illegality.  People who die
from taking drugs often do so because of stupidity, impure drugs,
non-existent quality controls, etc. all of which would be seriously
curtailed by legalizing and regulating the drug indust  But this is
just turning into the standard leggalization argument.  I'll stop now.

- Dan


--
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| Dan Parmenter       |"I'm waiting for a time, when I can do without these  |
| dan@gnu.ai.mit.edu  | things that make me feel this way all of the time"   |
|                     |                            - Spiritualized           |
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