DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Everything Else... Senators Cite Nancy Reagan’s ‘Just Say No’ Efforts in Call to Complete Bipartisan Antidrug Bill

I agree for the most part. I think.

A person I know pretty well got hooked on ativan, a benzodiazepine.

Dealing with repressed, or suppressed memories/feelings etc, at first ativan helped. Sadly, it "helped" too much. Before you knew it, this person was taking 3 times the prescribed amount. Where they were getting them, we don't know.

Paranoia, anger, hatred....they all ensued. Daily functioning was hard.

Addiction is nothing to laugh at, and once someone is addicted, ...well, very few can just "snap out of it".

I find it interesting that you agree with him about me yet you yell about BTTB judging you without knowing you.

I submit that neither of them have a clue about us.

After a lifetime of raising 3 kids to adulthood and having them be successful in life, through it all, I stand by my experience and I stand by my refusal to accept poor decisions made in life as an excuse for who we are.

How do I agree with him, about you?

I agreed with his post about addiction.

I don't know you, and never claimed to. Bttb claimed he knows all about me and I'm basically selfish and would rather step on someone's neck to get ahead, as opposed to help them.

Bttb is dead wrong and looks foolish for what he said about me. Period.

There's another side to the coin. Bttb would rather steal from others so he can get ahead. He doesn't want to earn it for himself. Greed and laziness.

Your whole view of this problem is predicated on the idea that it is as simple as making a choice to not become an addict . A departed friend of mine once told me something profound although I didn't consider it so until much later on in life . At the time I shared your opinion that strength and willpower were THE deciding factors to live a good life after all if I could do it then why couldn't everyone ?

In essence what he told me was that life gives each of us candles to ward off the darkness . Those lights come in the form of our loved ones ,our friends , our passions or even our jobs . Anything that we cling to to that gives us strength to face the day . There are things that happen to extinguish those lights and are different for everyone . There comes a time when your arsenal is depleted and you no longer have enough light to stave off the darkness . When that happens you are just looking to survive , anything that gives you reprieve from the place where you are and in many cases that is drugs .

I wrote it off as another weak minded person who was justifying his addiction , a person who was looking for an easy out rather than face the hard choice of getting clean . I now understand about darkness and the lights you need .

Well, before we get to the idea that being a Libertarian[1] makes you suddenly unable to help your neighbors, let's discuss the idea of prison. Do we not lock up nonviolent drug users because they are more of a harm to themselves than others? Isn't that in a way some sardonic rehab within itself?

Personally, I believe that rehabs shouldn't be free, unless they're court ordered. Then a few need to become free.


[1]In the American sense of the term. It's long been a term in Europe to describe the left view of those viewing personal freedoms. Before Ayn Rand birthed this American idea of libertarianism.

No, I don't believe being Libertarian means you can't help your neighbors. Being Libertarian means you have the choice and freedom to help your neighbors on your own, not helping because you are forced to.

Second, sentencing doesn't happen in a vacuum, meaning your entire criminal history is taken in to account. prior convictions will be factored in to sentencing, especially if you have previous convictions for what you are currently being charged with.

The other thing to consider, and I'll pose this to you for your thoughts, is what do we mean by "non-violent" drug offenses? If I'm dealing crack on the street, I would agree that the exchange of $$ for the drug is inherently a non-violent act. But what about the other crimes that are associated with that transaction? Violence between rival gangs/drug dealers ranging from assaults to murders... cars and homes being broken in to so that the buyer can support their habit.

How that act impacts the community as a whole is one of the main factors in determining things like sentencing. I think it's also why we are seeing the trend of weed becoming decriminalized/legalized. No longer does the argument that weed impacts the community in a negative way hold up.

That's why for me I've always considered legalizing weed as a separate issue apart from legalizing the other stuff.

I understand the sentiment of helping your neighbor. But if the argument to legalize drugs is that it is a personal choice to use and is none of my business, then that person should also have to take sole responsibility for the consequences. We also have to consider that 1) most people will relapse, repeatedly and 2) when they do, they will victimize their community to support their habit. How much violence, theft, and money out of their pocket should they have to endure before their quality of life is considered?

I know. I was simply making fun of the American Libertarian system, where the Libertarian becomes to work against other individuals instead of with. Again, it's a very American idea.. This libertarianism. The original philosophies towards Libertarianism are much different. Hence the comment, because there is a major paradigm shift somewhere over the Pacific. It's very comical, honestly. The difference between Libertarianism and American's thoughts on it.

I think you know what I mean by "non-violent" drug offenses. Literally "Possession" which is what many people are locked up for. People who are arrested solely on "possession" charges.

I'm actually not for legalizing all drugs. In fact, I'm for decriminalization. If you have a minute, take a look at Portugal's drug usage over the past decade.

we had soldiers get busted for using krokodil. it's really common here in the states.

It is just amazing what people will do to themselves to escape their lives.

It amazes me what poor choices people make for their one and only life.

i can't wait til we have the cannabis cup on the east coast one day.

I think the states that have legalized weed have it all wrong as far as the distribution goes. Fast food joints should be able to sell it so there is one stop shopping.

that would absolutely shut down the game. whoever implements that one day is gonna ball out of control.

OMG!