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From: mason@Pescadero.UUCP
Newsgroups: alt.drugs,misc.legal,alt.flame
Subject: Re: Mescaline (Re: The War on Drugs-1 year old today)
Message-ID: <12331@labrea.STANFORD.EDU>
Date: Sat, 31-Oct-87 14:06:54 EST
Article-I.D.: labrea.12331
Posted: Sat Oct 31 14:06:54 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 1-Nov-87 10:41:44 EST
References: <1136@puff.wisc.edu> <23455COK@PSUVMA> <591@auscso.UUCP> <1184@puff.wisc.edu>
Sender: news@labrea.STANFORD.EDU
Reply-To: mason@Pescadero.UUCP (Tony Mason)
Distribution: usa
Organization: Stanford University
Lines: 23
Keywords: Just say NO to drugs, YES to life.
Xref: hoptoad alt.drugs:437 misc.legal:3222 alt.flame:430
Summary: Treat the problem, not the symptom

>drugs, why isn't it illegal?  Well, think for yourself--most problems with
>drugs come from legal drugs, and decriminalization would just add to the
>problem.  The real answer is low-cost treatment, education, and better enforce-
>ment of our borders to keep drugs out.

Maybe the problem isn't caused by the *drugs*.  Maybe it is caused by the
*society*.  If that is the case, legalizing or banning drugs isn't going to
make the problem worse - or make it go away.    The *real* answer is to
figure out why the society is ill - why its members are self destructive.  If
I know something is harmful and I do it anyway, doesn't that show there is
something wrong with the world in which I live?

It seems the argument Eric is making is that getting rid of the drugs will
solve the problem.  Others point out most people don't abuse the drugs.
Everyone will agree some people do abuse drugs.  What we need to do is stop
treating the symptom and treat the problem.  Because if we don't do it now,
it may be too late later.


Tony Mason
Distributed Systems Group
Stanford University
mason@pescadero.stanford.edu