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From: jwl@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU (James Wilbur Lewis)
Newsgroups: net.med,talk.politics.misc
Subject: Re: Drug Abuse - True Problem or Media Hype?
Message-ID: <15844@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU>
Date: Sat, 27-Sep-86 00:07:06 EDT
Article-I.D.: ucbvax.15844
Posted: Sat Sep 27 00:07:06 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 29-Sep-86 01:50:27 EDT
References: <720@scc.UUCP> <20756@rochester.ARPA>
Reply-To: jwl@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU.UUCP (James Wilbur Lewis)
Organization: University of California at Berkeley
Lines: 63
Xref: linus net.med:4745 talk.politics.misc:408

Mr. Radouch may have intended this sarcastically, but his comments here are
actually quite an accurate depiction of my feelings on the issue!  Let me
elaborate a bit:

zdenek@heathcliff.columbia.edu.UUCP (Zdenek Radouch) writes:
>>[Jim Lewis]
>>I support legalized *possession* of all drugs;
>
>Right, after all everybody can synthesise (or grow) them at home by himself.

Correct....so keeping such drugs out of the hands of recreational drug users
will require massive invasions of privacy.
>
>> also legalized *sale* of all non-physiologically-addictive drugs
>
>Right, Screw yourself all you want as long as you don't become physiologically
>addicted (psychological addiction is fine).

Someone who knowingly uses addictive drugs is stupid. Someone who knowingly
*sells* addictive drugs is unethical. The latter person is the one we want
to bust! 

>> to people who are well-enough informed of the possible consequences.
>
>All you have to do is to take and pass DRUGS 101 with at least C+.

YES! This really *is* what I'd like to see happen! Except with maybe a B as 
the passing grade....

>>Dangerously addictive drugs should not be sold (except maybe by prescription).
>
>Safely addictive drugs in the selected supermarkets.

I've got news for you....I can walk down to the corner Safeway, and buy as
much alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine as I can carry!  All addictive substances,
and the first two aren't even all that safe. But this is as it should be...
it's my choice to risk using these substances.

I keep hearing references to a study that showed that nicotine is as addictive,
possibly even more so, than heroin.  Can someone (Craig?) give me a pointer to
the study so I can verify this?

>>[Would you sell alcohol to a minor...] if you knew you'd do time...?
>
>I would have to be more careful and it would cost the kid a hell of a lot more
>money.

Exactly the idea! That comment was put there to appease Ray Frank, who was
concerned that lower prices for legalized drugs would lead to easy availability
for children. This can be nullified by upping the penalty for unauthorized
dealing.

>>
>>-- Jim Lewis
>>   U.C. Berkeley
>
>Verbum sat sapienti est.

I don't speak Latin. What are you saying?

>Zdenek Radouch

Jim Lewis