Drugs and hypocrisy

[nyx]

This is aimed more at people who think some drugs are alright and others aren't rather than those who are anti-all drugs. It arose when at my friend's house party the other day it became clear that my friends were about to do some coke after telling us that whilst they did weed regularly they never do anything else, and my friend was outraged (partly because she'd been lied to, and partly because whilst weed was acceptable, coke was inherently bad.)


So why is cannabis alright in most people's eyes, but coke and heroin constantly frowned upon?

And why are smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol an accepted part of culture, whilst other drugs aren't? And before you say, BECAUSE THEY ARE LEGAL, why should they be legal?

I don't really have any set ideas on this, I'm just throwing the questions out there.

[zakarius]

i always hate the people who regularly go out on the lash several times a week yet look down severly on drugs, i know a few people who do this and it always turns into a bit of a heated debate,

i think drug abuse and alcohol are just the same, its just the stigma of the "illegal" stamp which alters peoples judgment on these substances.

however, i do see some drugs as worse than others, but thats based on my experiences taking them and other peoples experience taking them, not because of any social demand characteristics places upon me by illegal stamps.

but if you "take" weed often enough... well use weed, errm smoke weed often enough you start to see it on the same level if not better than alcohol so it stops becoming a "drug"

i know for a fact i dont see cannabis as a drug anymore.. i know it is, but i dont see it as being one

[Jessaay!]

I agree fully that the hypocrisy of those who say cannabis is fine, but coke and heroin are disgraceful, is just a little naive and silly.

However, something bugs me when people see me as a hypocrite when I view alcohol differently to drugs, including cigarettes. This is because I can't really answer why I view alcohol differently, I mean it's technically the same, you can become addicted to it (in a loose sense of the word) and from personal experience it does cause ridiculous and irresponsible behavior. However there is something so innocent about alcohol the majority of the time, in my eyes. I think this is because of our culture more than anything. Most of us will have been brought up in a family with parents who occasionally, or regularly, drink alcohol. A lot of the time it will be a social thing, people will have a drink of wine at christmas dinner, which is seen as a sort of sophisticated thing to do. Even some children will be given a little bit of wine at the table. However, very few of us are brought up with parents who regularly take heroin, coke etc etc. So my point is that Alcohol is generally seen as a social thing, and something which prominently plays a role in our culture, very rarely do we view it on the same lines as drugs such as cocaine. Drugs are often used as a social thing as well, I suppose, but not as prominently, and it doesn't exactly have the "sophisticated" stigma attached to it as, say, a glass of wine. Only when you begin to view it from the way people act outside nightclubs at 2am in the morning after binge drinking do you see how hypocritical it is to view drugs negatively because of their effects, but not view alcohol in the same way.

I put the fact that I hate cigarettes down to the way I see it as completely unattractive and I have an irrational fear already of getting cancer, without gaining it from my own or other people's habits. Plus the fact that people get affected by passive smoke adds fuel to my irrational fire.

[fuzzylumpkins]

as said above, its all about the image attached with a drug (and take this from someone who has come out of the other end of doing waayyyy too many drugs himself).

marijuana has a very peaceful image about it. lots of people do it (in fact, I don't think theres anyone who doesn't know someone who uses it around here). However, it is viewed as relatively harmless, much like alcohol. Although a few people take it too far, most people use it occasionally, and suffer no negative consequences. Also, very few people become violent because of it, violent to get it, or addicted (physically) to it.

This is all cultural though, as I was doing enough drugs for awhile that my friends viewed many different drugs in much the same way as weed, as I would do them constantly while we hung out, and never become violent, or seem to suffer consequences for about 2 years.

coke, heroin, speed, even e, shrooms and acid to a lesser extent, all have the "junkie" image around it. People have heard of lots of times where people have become addicts, violent, or had their lives spiral out of control because of these drugs. Because these drugs aren't as widespread as the others, not many people have enough experience with them to form their own opinions about them, and therefore just accept the common opinion of them, or base their beliefs on their own fears and stereotypes.

on a side note, be happy you have friends who only view pot as acceptable :D

[tf_arl_90]

I think people are OK with marijuana because it's a bit like alcohol, in that it alters your state of mind/mood, and cigarettes, in that you smoke it.

If you regularly do some of the harder drugs, your life will be screwed up in no time. If you drink a glass of wine each day, smoke a couple cigarettes a day, or smoke some pot every day you definitely will suffer some negative health consequences, but you probably would be able to lead a perfectly normal life otherwise.

No doubt you can get addicted to pot in the long term, and it absolutely has the negative health effects that smoking cigarettes has, but its moderate use is nothing like moderate use of heroin, coke, speed, etc.

Oh, and for this part of the question:



And why are smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol an accepted part of culture, whilst other drugs aren't? And before you say, BECAUSE THEY ARE LEGAL, why should they be legal?

Because people should have the freedom to decide what goes into their bodies. The only issue is that this can sometimes cause problems for other people in direct contact with the user who haven't made the decision to be affected by it, which is why it should be regulated.

[WastedlittleDj]

I never really thought about how certain drugs affected people until I watched a documentary called 'The Diary of a Heroin Addict', and it really put perspective on drugs as a whole.
I think that if you have an addictive personality, you will more likely become sucked into the drugs and alcohol quite easily. I have seen this in 2 relatives.
Whether drugs are legal are not there is always an addictiveness, so I myself don't see the point of legal and illegal drugs.
In the end, the person who partakes in alcohol or drug abuse has a reason, and its their own way of coping with life I suppose, however destructive it is to their mental state and bodies. I really don't think we have a right to label them junkies etc when we do not know the reason why they do it, half of them don't want to be be addicted to drugs anyway.

I probably didn't make a good point and here is the link for 'The diary of a Heroine Addict'

http://sky1.sky.com/ben-diary-of-a-heroin-addict-2