Hello hello. This is the inaugural post of the New Year! I fervently hope that 2023 will be a year characterized by greater fairness, improved health, and heightened peace for everyone ✨
Today, I would like to express some thoughts on the legal status of psychoactive substances. This will be a somewhat haphazard stream of consciousness with little in the way of self-censorship.
What have I observed while working with addicts in various institutions and countries? That the greatest challenge is the illegal status of these substances.
As long as substances remain illegal and their use is criminalized, people will continue to suffer. Given that we have been producing, buying, selling, giving away, and consuming alcohol, tobacco, and sugar for centuries, there is no compelling reason not to adopt a similar approach to psychoactive substances, which are commonly referred to as drugs.
We can not only decriminalize drugs but also legalize them. And the world is gradually moving in this direction. The US and certain European countries are shifting their focus from martial law with respect to substances to the interests of science, medicine, and, ultimately, people. It is a long process, but it has already begun.
Politicians, lawyers, medical administrators, and individuals with a conservative mindset should understand that all the fears associated with the legalization of substances are already a reality, it is simply uncomfortable and unacceptable to acknowledge them. It is easier to pretend that everything is fine, watch the news, and continue purchasing the same psychoactive and addictogenic beverages and products at the stores.
People will always seek to push boundaries and look for something that is missing. Prohibitions, persecution, and other forms of aggression do not work and will not work. We have ample time and examples to state this with confidence.
For all the time that substances have been controlled, people have continued to turn to them, but often lack the necessary knowledge, timely assistance, and safe support. The open status of psychoactive substances would make it possible to implement such programs and undoubtedly reduce the negative consequences of consumption.
Not to mention the economic aspect of the issue, whereby money that currently flows past citizens and into the hands of criminals would instead be directed towards the needs of society (let us imagine, for the sake of this paragraph, that the state is an honest entity).
For me, legalization or panlegalization represents an honest examination of the relationship between people and psychoactive substances, unencumbered by moralizing, aggressive defenses, and ulterior motives. All categories of psychoactive substances should be completely legal. Doctors, teachers, social workers, businesses, and politicians should disseminate knowledge and provide assistance, rather than intimidate, condemn, and oppress. It is only by moving towards this utopian scenario that we will be able to break out of the never-ending cycle of shifting responsibility from one entity to another. When a person is informed and freed from fear, they will be able to make an informed choice, which is their right as a being with a consensual consciousness.
And based on my experience, a forbidden fruit without a prohibition ends up being nothing more than a source of disagreement.
I have sincerely tried to identify any obvious negative aspects of legalization, as I believe that one-sided black-and-white views almost always create problems and exacerbate situations. However, one thing is clear to me at present: the war on drugs must come to an end. Like any other war, it is primarily a conflict in which people suffer.
That’s all for today.
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