Posted by deirdrehbrt on January 31, 2006, at 23:54:04
In reply to Re: Principles of Responsible Cannabis Use » deirdrehbrt, posted by TexasChic on January 31, 2006, at 20:35:53
-T
You didn't sound dismissive at all. I think that you had good and valid questions to what I was saying. It helps me eithier solidify or modify my own thoughts and positions.
I think that at heart, I'm either a liberal democrat or a libertarian. I don't like the government taking control over individual lives. Though personally against abortion for convenience, I absolutely don't think it should be illegal.
I think that drug use should be a personal decision. Given that, I think it should be an informed decision. I have no idea of how to properly educate people though.
I don't know what drugs should be legalized or remain illegal. Some are extremely addictive and some are deadly. If we legalize pot, do we legalize other drugs? Opium, Cocaine, etc?
I do know that I'm tired of the government forever encroaching more and more into our personal lives. There has to be a balance between safety and liberty. I don't think we should be legislating morality except where it affects another's safety or liberty. Drunk driving laws are fine. Making drinking illegal is not.
That's where I'm at.
BTW....
When I mentioned that the people I know who used harder drugs started with pot first, I wasn't making a case for not legalizing pot. What I was saying was that I disagree with NORML who says that pot isn't a stepping-stone drug. I think it is a stepping-stone drug for some people, and those people are the ones who are using the harder drugs now. Maybe not all of them, but I would bet that most of them started with pot, and to your point, alcohol before that.
--Dee
poster:deirdrehbrt
thread:603829
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/subs/20051211/msgs/605058.html