All Drugs Are Dangerous, Even The Ones People Know And Love And Use Every Day

shane.

Posted to Politics on Mon Mar 26, 2007 at 09:15:47 PM EST (promoted by 1fastdog). RSS.

A study that was recently released in the UK under the direction of David Nutt, has called for a new framework for classifying drugs - a framework that classifies drugs based on "their actual risks to society" which would include adding alcohol and tobacco to the list of drugs needing regulated.

According to existing British drug policy, alcohol and tobacco are legal, while cannabis and ecstasy are illegal. "The current drug system is ill thought- out and arbitrary," said Nutt, referring to the practice of assigning drugs to three divisions, ostensibly based on the drugs' potential for harm. Tobacco causes 40 percent of all hospital illnesses, while alcohol is blamed for more than half of all visits to hospital emergency rooms. The substances also harm society in other ways, damaging families and occupying police services.

Had this study been done in the US and released by an American researcher, it surely would've met with much derision, especially from those whose positions in the War On Drugs are firmly entrenched. Given the status that tobacco and alcohol merit as legal purchases for adults in the US, is it possible that they would ever see regulation or reclassification as hard drugs? And considering the political fallout that would surely ensue, would anyone ever suggest that the US rethink its position on ecstasy, as the UK has done?

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Tags: written by shane, edited by 1fastdog, drugs, reclasssification, ecstasy, alcohol, tobacco, UK, US (all tags)

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1	Perspective tomc. Mon Mar 26, 2007 at 09:38:02 PM EST none

"If recreational drugs were tools, alcohol would be a sledgehammer." - Aaron White, PhD.

2 1	Re: Perspective nmiguy. Tue Mar 27, 2007 at 09:10:24 AM EST 5.00 (brilliant)

Gee I always thought of my alcohol as a screw driver. Unless I add a splash of cranberry juice to it.

3 2	Re: Perspective tomc. Tue Mar 27, 2007 at 10:34:13 AM EST none

I always thought of my alcohol as a screw driver.

Yeah. A screw driver shoved through your temples.

4	Re: All Drugs Are Dangerous, Even The Ones People thefadd. Tue Mar 27, 2007 at 12:54:56 PM EST none

It's quite laughable that anyone would even intimate that alcohol needs further regulation. There are bad things in this world, things that do damage to us humans like cancer and head colds and escaped lions. But you can't ban them. Making up laws against them is like spitting into the wind. Sure you got the spit out, but it's coming right back in your face. We do have, I believe a rather living example of what happens when you try to ban these things versus allow them to be legal within certain limits. In fact, as Americans, it's codified in our Consitution: Amendments 18 and 21. Quite clearly the lofty ideal laid down right next to the "oops, we sure screwed that one up!" fix less than 2 decades later. I simply can't imagine what additional limits one would want to put on tobacco or alcohol.

What this study demonstrates quite clearly to me is that there is zero reason for marijuana or MDMA to regulated much if at all. Walking outside is dangerous. Driving a car, is in fact, the most dangerous thing you can do. Drugs, eh, not so much the concern to me.

It is easy to buy small plaster models of what you think life is like.

5 4	Re: All Drugs Are Dangerous, Even The Ones People dzetetes. Thu Mar 29, 2007 at 06:31:59 PM EST none

I simply can't imagine what additional limits one would want to put on tobacco

You could ban it like Bhutanit...er, Bhutan.

Seriously, though, I agree that the regulation or overregulation of some substances causes more problems than the use of the substances themselves. I don't know enough about Ecstasy to say, but I've had friends who've used it, sometimes extensively, and aside from thinking that they're just too cool for school, I haven't noticed any permanent damage. I'm on board with you re: the good herb (thank ya Jah). I'm curious where you draw the line, though. You've made it clear that you're not in 100% agreement with Nutt's "actual risk to society" criterion, since that broad definition would call for the reclassification of booze and smokes. Should all drugs be legalized or decriminalized, and if not, what criteria do we use to decide?

In regione caecorum, rex est luscus.

6 5	Re: All Drugs Are Dangerous, Even The Ones People thefadd. Fri Mar 30, 2007 at 07:11:53 PM EST none

Well, yes, basically I don't believe prohibition works with ingestibles. You can label it, you can regulate it, you can educate, but at the end of the day people are going to put into their bodies what they want. The "War On Drugs" and 1920's era alcohol prohibition have been probably the two most singularly spectacular legislative failures in our country's history. At the same time, I realize it would be extreme to call for the repealing of all drug prohibition laws.

Personally speaking, this study's findings seems to line up pretty exactly with my understanding of the negative effects of the various drugs discussed. Of the ones discussed here, marijuana and mdma do appear to be the least harmful, followed by alcohol. I do, however, think that anything which is smoked that can be directly invasive to other people's personal space requires some extra regulation to mitigate "second hand" effects. So, yes, given that alcohol and tobacco are legal I see no legitimate concern that would prevent the legalization of mdma and marijuana, since they are less harmful.

It is easy to buy small plaster models of what you think life is like.

7 5	Re: All Drugs Are Dangerous, Even The Ones People thefadd. Fri Mar 30, 2007 at 07:17:14 PM EST none

To answer your question more pointedly, just move the measuring stick slightly to the side, allowing more things that pose an "actual risk to society" to be legal. My concept of acceptable risk is less conservative than his and I believe the vast majority of people feel the same way. I think you might get 15% support for an attempt to re-introduce a ban on alcohol in the US.

It is easy to buy small plaster models of what you think life is like.

8	Re: All Drugs Are Dangerous, Even The Ones People jplou. Thu May 03, 2007 at 08:50:02 AM EST none

y1 y2 y3 y4 y5 y6 y7 y8 y9 y10 y11 y12 y13 y14 y15 y16 y17 y18 y19 y20 y21 y22 y23 y24 y25 y26 y27 y28 y29 y30 y31 y32 y33 y34 y35 y36 y37 y38 y39 y40 y41 y42 y43 y44 y45 y46 y47 y48 y49 y50 y51 y52 y53 y54 y55 y56 y57 y58 y59 y60 y61 y62 y63 y64 y65 y66 y67 y68 y69 y70 y71 y72 y73 y74 y75 y76 y77 y78 y79 y80 y81 y82 y83 y84 y85 y86 y87 y88 y89 y90 y91 y92 y93 y94 y95

This story: 8 comments (3 from subqueue)

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shane.

Posted to Politics on Mon Mar 26, 2007 at 09:15:47 PM EST (promoted by 1fastdog). RSS.

Perspective

tomc.

Mon Mar 26, 2007 at 09:38:02 PM EST

1

Re: Perspective

nmiguy.

Tue Mar 27, 2007 at 09:10:24 AM EST

5.00 (brilliant)

2

Re: Perspective

tomc.

Tue Mar 27, 2007 at 10:34:13 AM EST

Re: All Drugs Are Dangerous, Even The Ones People

thefadd.

Tue Mar 27, 2007 at 12:54:56 PM EST

4

Re: All Drugs Are Dangerous, Even The Ones People

dzetetes.

Thu Mar 29, 2007 at 06:31:59 PM EST

5

Re: All Drugs Are Dangerous, Even The Ones People

thefadd.

Fri Mar 30, 2007 at 07:11:53 PM EST

5

Re: All Drugs Are Dangerous, Even The Ones People

thefadd.

Fri Mar 30, 2007 at 07:17:14 PM EST

Re: All Drugs Are Dangerous, Even The Ones People

jplou.

Thu May 03, 2007 at 08:50:02 AM EST