prinCZess
Warrior, Writer, Performer, Perv
US-centric because I'm in the US and it's what I mostly know about.
Much is made of this general topic, with the recent craze being a focus on vaping. But the topic also very commonly suffers from being very absent of the facts...As evidenced by the recent crazed focus on vaping and how it is totally gonna kill off all the kids ever because it's just too cool for school. This doesn't seem to be balanced against positive or neutral impacts vaping might have--such as the commonly cited use of it as a means of getting off smoking, and my (anecdotal) knowledge that it works well for such--and more effectively than patches, gum, or cold-turkey (as I recall, could be incorrect).
Speaking more broadly, I tend to notice this pattern in drug discussions overall. Marijuana used to suffer from it, though it seems to have declined in recent years after states decriminalized, legalized, or offered medical exemptions to the federal ban on the stuff (*Relevant item found in a moment of google). Other drugs also commonly suffer from it (in my opinion), with there being something of a firmly 'moral' opposition to changes in drug policy or proscription as opposed to one based on (what might be) best practices. As a kickoff/example to this, I refer to a general policy of 'decriminalization' and 'health-centered' drug policy which has been attempted in some other countries and seen some benefit the US might be well-off taking notice of. Portugal, in particular, is a famous example I've heard in more particular discussions of this stuff because (per what I've seen and heard) they've experienced a general decrease in drug usage after decriminalization in 2001 (pdf warning).
Being the shameless 'do-what-you-like man' hippy that I am, I've always erred more on the decriminalization side of things than the War on Drugs...And been a proponent of outright legalizing items like marijuana which seem like they've been drastically overblown in their dangers for many a years. Not only, in both of these, because I don't see the strategy currently pursued as effective (or humane/moral/appealing to my hippy sensibilities), but also because I DO clearly see them expanding and enshrining a style of policing and enforcement that is detrimental to freedom overall--no-knock raids or mistaken drug raids of peoples homes based off of nothing but tips as easy, high-visibility examples of the issue that can probably be found via a net search.
Am I all wet and just being a crazy hippy? Do any of ya'all agree and wish to compliment my keen and observing mind to further inflate my ego? Would those with more knowledge/experience overseas care to share problems or potential alternatives my American butt hasn't even heard of?
https://www.drugpolicy.org/sites/default/files/DPA_Fact_Sheet_Portugal_Decriminalization_Feb2015.pdf
Much is made of this general topic, with the recent craze being a focus on vaping. But the topic also very commonly suffers from being very absent of the facts...As evidenced by the recent crazed focus on vaping and how it is totally gonna kill off all the kids ever because it's just too cool for school. This doesn't seem to be balanced against positive or neutral impacts vaping might have--such as the commonly cited use of it as a means of getting off smoking, and my (anecdotal) knowledge that it works well for such--and more effectively than patches, gum, or cold-turkey (as I recall, could be incorrect).
Speaking more broadly, I tend to notice this pattern in drug discussions overall. Marijuana used to suffer from it, though it seems to have declined in recent years after states decriminalized, legalized, or offered medical exemptions to the federal ban on the stuff (*Relevant item found in a moment of google). Other drugs also commonly suffer from it (in my opinion), with there being something of a firmly 'moral' opposition to changes in drug policy or proscription as opposed to one based on (what might be) best practices. As a kickoff/example to this, I refer to a general policy of 'decriminalization' and 'health-centered' drug policy which has been attempted in some other countries and seen some benefit the US might be well-off taking notice of. Portugal, in particular, is a famous example I've heard in more particular discussions of this stuff because (per what I've seen and heard) they've experienced a general decrease in drug usage after decriminalization in 2001 (pdf warning).
Being the shameless 'do-what-you-like man' hippy that I am, I've always erred more on the decriminalization side of things than the War on Drugs...And been a proponent of outright legalizing items like marijuana which seem like they've been drastically overblown in their dangers for many a years. Not only, in both of these, because I don't see the strategy currently pursued as effective (or humane/moral/appealing to my hippy sensibilities), but also because I DO clearly see them expanding and enshrining a style of policing and enforcement that is detrimental to freedom overall--no-knock raids or mistaken drug raids of peoples homes based off of nothing but tips as easy, high-visibility examples of the issue that can probably be found via a net search.
Am I all wet and just being a crazy hippy? Do any of ya'all agree and wish to compliment my keen and observing mind to further inflate my ego? Would those with more knowledge/experience overseas care to share problems or potential alternatives my American butt hasn't even heard of?
https://www.drugpolicy.org/sites/default/files/DPA_Fact_Sheet_Portugal_Decriminalization_Feb2015.pdf
