- Kids -

Why condemn the pursuit of pleasure?

Posted by: MDG on October 26, 1999 at 10:41:35:

In Reply to: Legalization is one thing... posted by Cynic on October 25, 1999 at 01:09:35:

The recreational use of drugs (including alcohol) is universal among humanity, and can even be found in the animal kingdom. Why do you condemn this practice? Abusing drugs is one thing, but using them to enjoy a pleasurable experience is no different from eating a good meal or reading a good book.

You are making a big assumption here: that people who use drugs recreationally can "only" be amused in this way, or that they are wasting their time. Says who? If you would rather spend all your free time enjoying yourself without ever using drugs, that's fine, but do not tell the rest of us that if we want to spend an enjoyable evening smoking a joint and listening to jazz, for example, that we are somehow wasting our time or avoiding life.

Also, there is no merit to your argument that when one uses drugs, they "go up in smoke") (or up the nose or out the veins, etc.). So what? When you eat a banana, all the effort that went into providing you with that banana is consumed in a matter of minutes. But you enjoyed the end product, did you not, so it was worth it.

Lastly, since this is a "Kids" section, I would point out that while I am in favor of legalizing drugs, they ought not be used by growing children or, if they are, only with strict adult supervision (as when allowing a child a sip of wine). Drugs and emotional/mental/physicial development simply do not mix.


: ...and active use is another. Even while I feel that marijuana and other drug forms should be legal for recreational use; I don't think people should use them even if the law says it's ok.

: You see, drugs are a waste because they are usable once until their potency is depleted, and all of the resources that went into preparing them, inspecting them, etc. (because if they do become legal you can bet an entire bureaucracy will be built around it) go up in smoke (no pun intended) after used once.

: Compared to other forms of consumer goods that increase happiness, music, art, and literature will last for more than one person to enjoy before all of their utility is gone. And there is such a wealth of wonderful experiences in these three categories that if one never ventured outside of them he or she wouldn't be bored, ever, throughout an entire life.

: There is something wrong (yes, even with you) with people who are so blind to the beauty, splendor, and happiness available without drugs that they can only be amused by ingesting these substances and altering their biochemistry. Perhaps a psychological defect- or an insuffecient and inadequate world-view. I don't particularly care, either. Drugs are expensive. If you can afford them you must be able to afford something else that will make you happy.

: Legalize it by all means. Stop wasting time and money on trying to stop behavior that misguided human beings are always going to be drawn to. But in doing so we don't necessarily have to forgive those human beings for being quite so uncreative as to want drugs in the first place.


:
: : Marijuanna is pefectly harmless. And it is a lot less harmful than cigarettes and alcohol. As for the response on how that guys friend did not feel a thing for a couple of days. Weed did not cause him to cuss at his parents it was probably his attitude that got him in trouble. Marijuanna takes about 2 hours to kick in not a couple of days. So if you are going to try to show some one up then you should try doing some research first. That way you wont look like a complete idiot. Maryjane(as I call it) is not perfectly harmless if you jump in car and drive while under the influece and it can cause lung cancer but so can tobacco and alcohol for that matter. So try doing a little research before you talk. I am not saying that the guy you responded to was right but you were definetley wrong. You have no right to sit there and judge the effects of it when you have probably never smoke a joint in your entire life. So take a back seat and shut the fuck up!!!!!!!!

: : Yours truly
: : Angry at stupitidy




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