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Originally Posted by Sid Vicious
great post and well thought out as always but i disagree with the bolded section
altering our physiological states and conciousness through pharmacy is a fundamental component of humankind and carries with it many cultural, anthropological, philosophical and spiritual connotations
drugs are one of the major catalysts for human growth and development as anyone who has ever studied history will know. primitive hunter gatherers used magic mushrooms to enhance their eyesight and also to question their limited conciousness. our first agricultural societies developed simply because those with grain surpluses could afford to brew beer, with didnt spoil
the idea of prohibiting drugs is laughable because of how intoxication is and always will be an intrinsic component of human existence and conciousness
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Honestly, I don't disagree with anything that you've said. But as it stands, the way that black market drugs are handled, and with the oftentimes unpredictable nature of hallucinogens, it poses significant risks for a serious chunk of the population.
A great number of people drive to work every day, and there are a large number of people who use heavy machinery either at work or at home (yes, I'm counting things like riding mowers 'heavy machinery' for the purposes of this explanation). When you look at shrooms or DMT or LSD, there's no way to be sure of the potency of what you'll get, nor of the longevity when it comes to how long your 'trip' will last.
I'll be honest, point blank those things both entice and scare the shit out of me. Do I want the life-changing visions that LSD has brought to hundreds of thousands of people (if not millions) throughout history? Hell. Fucking. Yes. Am I worried that it'll knock me out for hours if not days, and that I may have a 'bad trip' which would leave me somewhat scarred and/or traumatized? Just as much.
That's the problem with hallucinogens and other drugs of that ilk. They're both wonderful and terrible and unpredictable--and it's that unpredictability which brings those qualities. Were there a way that I could take them in a monitored environment in which I could be dealt with if I start to go nuts I would feel infinitely safer in trying them, and would feel much more free to do so.
My 'drugs are bad' statement was an oversimplification and was essentially a statement on the current state of non-pharmaceutical recreational street drugs and their purity/consistency/potency. My answers aren't perfect answers, and the best solutions are nuanced ones rather than black and white. Apologies if I didn't adequately express that.