Pat Robertson Advocates Decriminalization of Marijuana Use

[Swatopluk]

Which was based on an actual drug iirc but not a natural one.

[Opsa]

Personally I never understood how someone got the idea to inhale the smoke of burning/smoldering leaves and was able to persuade others to do the same.

I'm sure they just happened to be standing near some smouldering weeds and noticed that stupid things seemed much more hilarious than usual, and that it gives a worried mind a little vacation, much like booze does. The problem is not to stay on permanent vacation, rosy as it seems, but to uncrinkle enough to step back and catch one's breath before moving ahead in the real world to solve the situations that caused the worry in the first place. Many people are possibly not strong enough to keep in mind that the end result should be to go back to the business of life refreshed and not to stay in la-la land. Balancing life may seem like too much work.

I agree, it could easily be used to pacify the public, and that it messes with memory. Uhhhh... what was I saying?

[Aggie]

Aggie, Aldous Huxley beat you to that idea with soma.

Quite a different matter; soma in BNW is more closely modelled on mescaline I suspect, and functionally is used more like Ops describes (a little vacation from reality to uncrinkle).


We are discussing this in the context of a society which has admitted and obvious issues with walking the line of moderation.  The hope for responsible use of french fries is misplaced, let alone pleasurable addictive drugs.

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

The hope for responsible use of french fries is misplaced

Are you advocating entering poutine in the list of controlled substances?
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I'm not convinced by far, that legal pot necessarily implies an overwhelmingly stoned society (ask the Dutch). Certainly those stoned will have to deal with the consequences, as smokers do, and alcoholics do (and far more, their families*).

I don't think that advocating for the decriminalization/legalization of pot is -at all- promoting the consumption of it, but more the acknowledgment that it is practically impossible to prevent it's consumption by certain people, and that it is not only counterproductive to lock addicts, but extremely expensive.

* in that sense alcohol, not pot, is more comparable with hard drugs like coke and heroine