Its not Anecdotal

[boondocks]

I guess we all are directly or indirectly....bet most of the users don't have insurance. So we pick up the tab for their consequences.....

As I've mentioned, I volunteered as an advocate for abused/neglected children for ~20 years. There was not a d@mn kid I worked with that didn't have a substance-abusing parent (or two). NOT A SINGLE KID. Urban, suburban, all flavors...

It's naive to think that people who (ab)use drugs only affect themselves and that we are impinging on their natural right to fry their brains by trying to discourage them from so doing.

Want to fry your brain? First, work hard to put aside enough money so you never have to steal or scam or hook to get your fix. Wait until your parents die; don't drive, marry or have kids. Or a pet. Or friends. Basically, become a hermit. Once you've achieved that exalted state: Hole up in your home and have at it. Fry away. Don't call 9-1-1. Pay someone ridiculously well to check once a month to make sure you're alive. (Yes, even then you're adversely affecting society but at least minimizing it).

 

[Nesikep]

I think some we have to distinguish between use and abuse.. certainly one can lead to the other, but legal or not it happens. Alcohol for one.. a fellow goes and has a few drinks on friday night and doesn't get stupid, it's not a problem... Some people are violent when they have a few in them, that's not good.
Having a toke on Sunday afternoon, I don't have a problem with it either, but I know people who are mentally diminuished from pot use...
There are also the drugs where the line between use, abuse, and addiction are so thin, they're just too darned dangerous.

 

[Ryder]

I think some we have to distinguish between use and abuse.. certainly one can lead to the other, but legal or not it happens. Alcohol for one.. a fellow goes and has a few drinks on friday night and doesn't get stupid, it's not a problem... Some people are violent when they have a few in them, that's not good.
Having a toke on Sunday afternoon, I don't have a problem with it either, but I know people who are mentally diminuished from pot use...
There are also the drugs where the line between use, abuse, and addiction are so thin, they're just too darned dangerous.

You are 100% correct.
Surprisingly enough I have seen users who could do rather well on intellectual tasks--but not as well as they could have without the dope.

It (marijuana) also lowers their initiative and ambition. I think this is the most dangerous part.
How about a whole nation of people who just wanted to "mellow out" in emergencies rather than doing something constructive?
It is insidious.

 

[Nesikep]

Sometimes emergencies are created by people who aren't mellowed out though!

 

[dun]

I think some we have to distinguish between use and abuse.. certainly one can lead to the other, but legal or not it happens. Alcohol for one.. a fellow goes and has a few drinks on friday night and doesn't get stupid, it's not a problem... Some people are violent when they have a few in them, that's not good.
Having a toke on Sunday afternoon, I don't have a problem with it either, but I know people who are mentally diminuished from pot use...
There are also the drugs where the line between use, abuse, and addiction are so thin, they're just too darned dangerous.

You are 100% correct.
Surprisingly enough I have seen users who could do rather well on intellectual tasks--but not as well as they could have without the dope.

It (marijuana) also lowers their initiative and ambition. I think this is the most dangerous part.
How about a whole nation of people who just wanted to "mellow out" in emergencies rather than doing something constructive?
It is insidious.

It's legal somewhere in europe, holland maybe?

 

[ALACOWMAN]

Some of the guys I grew up with,,, are still smoking pot, 30+ years later..to them it's like having a cool one after work..

 

[Anonymous]

http://local15tv.com/news/local/deputie ... male-found Hitting close to home. She is 3rd cousin. She has been on and off drugs for years. Her close family isn't really surprised.
http://local15tv.com/news/local/woman-w ... identified

 

[True Grit Farms]

http://local15tv.com/news/local/deputies-investigating-a-body-of-a-white-male-found Hitting close to home. She is 3rd cousin. She has been on and off drugs for years. Her close family isn't really surprised.
http://local15tv.com/news/local/woman-w ... identified

Very sad, sorry for your loss.

 

[gizmom]

I don't know how people function when taking pain medication. When I had my cow vs. pedestrian incident they put me on ocycodin. After a couple of weeks the boss said I needed to suck it up and go back to the office, I did it still on the drugs took us a year to correct all the accounting errors, I swear they seemed like rational decisions at the time. My heart goes out to anyone that is dealing with drug issues in their families, I think more families than we realize have someone fighting addiction. I know our family has dealt with it we lost a niece to an overdose two years ago and have another that is still battling addiction. It is heartbreaking.

Gizmom

 

[Ky hills]

It is terribly ironic that the friend that I referenced in an earlier post within this topic, was arrested just a few days ago. He was on probation for 5 years and this was his 3rd dui in what I think was just a couple years.