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From: mikep@ism780c.UUCP
Newsgroups: alt.drugs,misc.legal,alt.flame
Subject: Re: Why call 'em dirtballs
Message-ID: <7692@ism780c.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 1-Nov-87 23:35:21 EST
Article-I.D.: ism780c.7692
Posted: Sun Nov  1 23:35:21 1987
Date-Received: Tue, 3-Nov-87 02:34:55 EST
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Reply-To: mikep@ism780c.UUCP (Michael A. Petonic)
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In article <602@auscso.UUCP> johnm@auscso.UUCP (John B. Meaders, Jr.) writes:
>I will continue to call illegal drug users dirtballs, because they are.
>What do I know of the situation?  First I admit to the occasional drink of
>alcohol.  While on active duty in the Army I had occasion to witness what
>drugs did to the performance of friends and other individuals.  They no
>longer car about doing their jobs, they came to work late, they went
>AWOL, etc.  Drugs weren't the sole cause of this by any means, but they
>were a substanial reason.  What was the most prevalent drug used?  Pot.
>Yep, that drug most of you think is so harmless, was a cause of this.  As
>was Alcohol (more so admittedly than Pot), LSD, Coke, etc.  The fact is
>Alcohol is legal.  The others aren't.  I'm not for legalization either because
>that is a cop out.  Why do you need a chemical to alter your "perceptions."
>Did you ever try running, the brain is very effective at releasing internal
>chemicals that will make you high.

After this reference to drugs and the Army, let me add some experience
from what I've heard from my father  (who was in).  He was in the
administrative position to determine whether someone was
fit to get booted out of the service because of various 
infractions against the laws of the UCMJ (Uniform Code of
Military Justice).  

Anyway,  if it were only use of substance, then my father would
try his damndest to get the guy to ``play by the rules'' and
try to keep him in the Army (which the guy wanted to do, anyway,
it was a fight against super-conservatives).  However, whenever
someone was dealing, he'd do his damndest to boot the
guy out of the Army.  The reason, right or wrong, for his
actions was that it was against the rules of the Army.  People
know that they give up most of their rights when they join the
service (or they should be smart enough to realize that).

Living in Belgium, a lot of my friends would go up to
Denmark (where Hashish is legal) and do their thing.  Notice
that there was no problem with this (except with their 
parents, which is another story).  The Danish society is
much more receptive to the use of hashish.  The American
society, having hash and all cannibus related items illegial,
tend to encourage the idea that using drugs aligns you
with the ``counter-culture.''  The Army more strongly
so.  Denmark, not having this, tends to have more
``respectable'' people doing drugs.  

Anyway, my point is that maybe if drugs weren't illegial,
some people using them wouldn't feel so aligned with
the ``criminals'' of society.  It is my personal experience
with some of my friends, that they do change when they
start doing drugs.  Not because of the effects of
the drugs, but rather of the views that society holds
against them.

I'm don't currently do drugs (probably because of the
stigma that is associated with them (but I'm mature
enough to admit that)) but I don't call the people
dirtbags or anything.  Doing that tends to alienate them
from the ``rest'' of society and tends to increase
everybodies problems.  Who knows, if drugs were legal,
maybe there would be less problems with our current
society?  I don't know the answers and anyone who says
that 100% positive either way are crocked.  Maybe it
is worth a shot...

-MikeP