Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!mcnc!duke!rjn From: rjn@duke.UUCP (R. James Nusbaum) Newsgroups: talk.politics.misc,net.med Subject: Re: Drug Abuse - True Problem or Media Hype? Message-ID: <8643@duke.duke.UUCP> Date: Tue, 30-Sep-86 11:20:39 EDT Article-I.D.: duke.8643 Posted: Tue Sep 30 11:20:39 1986 Date-Received: Thu, 2-Oct-86 20:19:28 EDT References: <720@scc.UUCP> <20756@rochester.ARPA> <463@epimass.UUCP> <1302@trwrb.UUCP> <8591@duke.duke.UUCP> <1313@trwrb.UUCP> Reply-To: rjn@duke.UUCP (R. James Nusbaum) Organization: Duke University, Durham NC Lines: 68 Xref: linus talk.politics.misc:455 net.med:4790 In article <1313@trwrb.UUCP> suhre@trwrb.UUCP (Maurice E. Suhre) writes: >In article <8591@duke.duke.UUCP> rjn@duke.UUCP (R. James Nusbaum) writes: >>In article <1302@trwrb.UUCP> suhre@trwrb.UUCP (Maurice E. Suhre) writes: >>>In article <463@epimass.UUCP> jbuck@epimass.UUCP (Joe Buck) writes: >>>>Can you explain >>>>to me why cocaine use is worse for society than alcohol and tobacco >>>>use? >>> I don't have to. The principle is, if you have two problems >>> on your hands, should you acquire a third one if you don't >>> have to? >>> >I still stand by the above paragraph. >>> But for starters, I don't think that tobacco users have >>> to steal to support their "habit". Similar for alcohol >>> users. >I've been somewhat convinced by the arguments that illegal substances >cost way more than they would if available legally. >>> > Try this one. The majority of people that drink "socially" > can enjoy the pleasures of alcohol without becoming addicted, > damaging their lives, etc. Do the majority of cocaine users > follow the same pattern? Or do almost all of them become > abusers? The principle that I advance is the addictive > power of the various substances under discussion. >-- >Maurice Suhre > >{decvax,sdcrdcf,ihnp4,ucbvax}!trwrb!suhre Somehow my name was include in Maurice's posting although I couldn't find any text from my posting in it. Anyway I will answer this one. It is obvious that you do not know any drug users (notice I didn't say abusers). There are literally millions of casual drug users in this country. They use drugs in exactly the same way as people use alcohol. I personally know at least 50 people who are regular cocaine users. Most of them have been using cocaine for at least 10 years. They are well educated (many have graduate degrees), employed in good jobs, and in excellent physical shape. The reason you don't hear about these kind of people in the media is because they are afraid to be open about their use. Let me describe to you the way many people who use drugs in this country have to live. First of all, never ever admit to someone that you use drugs unless you know that person extremely well or you know that they also use drugs. Second, you basically only socialize with 'safe' people. Safe people are those who you are absolutely sure have liberal attitudes about drugs. The reason you have to live this way is because of the attitudes of people like you, Maurice. Too many people in this country automatically assume that if you use cocaine (or even pot) that you must be some kind of degenerate criminal. The media hype has only made this worse. I wish I could go into more detail about specific people and my personal experiences, but I can't. The dangers of admitting drug use or identifying someone as a drug user are too great. In my experience though, the majority of illegal drug users do not go on to become abusers any more than the majority of legal drug users go on to become abusers. Note: I cannot speak for crack users. I have heard that this form of coke is tremendously addictive. As it has not penetrated to many parts of the country I do not have any personal experience with this drug. Jim Nusbaum -- R. James Nusbaum, Duke University Computer Science Department, Durham NC 27706-2591. Phone (919)684-5110. CSNET: rjn@duke UUCP: {ihnp4!decvax}!duke!rjn ARPA: rjn%duke@csnet-relay