I am a Drug User

I use the most dangerous drug ever known to the human race.  It has caused more death and has ruined more lives by far than any other substance.  

And it is brewed in Dublin, Ireland. 

Yes, this rather straight-arrow type white guy is a drug user.  But so are most of you. Admit it.

Notice I said drug “user.”  I did not say drug “addict.”  Addiction of any form, whether it is alcohol, heroin, gambling, fast-food, or anything else, is self destructive.  Most of us have enough discipline to moderate our cravings so that we do not become slaves to our desires.  We recognize that we are healthier when our lives and our desires are in balance.

So despite the danger that this drug presents, most are able to responsibly use it without becoming addicts or causing harm.  When harm occurs, those causing the harm should pay the price and be held responsible.  Fortunately there are private organizations that help people remove themselves from their dependency and help prevent harm from occurring.

If we admit that most of us use the most dangerous drug known, why is it that we elect politicians that empower government to break into our houses, take away our property, put us in jail, and wage a never ending war on all the other drugs?

That is what the Marijuana Policy Project of Nevada is asking.  They are offering a $10,000 reward for anyone who could disprove the assertion that marijuana is safer than alcohol.  Specifically, they state:

1. Alcohol is significantly more toxic than marijuana, making death by overdose far more likely with alcohol.

2. The health effects from long-term alcohol consumption cause tens of thousands of more deaths in the U.S. annually than the health effects from the long-term consumption of marijuana.

3. Violent crime committed by individuals intoxicated by alcohol is far more prevalent in the U.S. than violent crime committed by individuals intoxicated by marijuana only.

To receive the $10,000 award, Nevada residents must provide peer-reviewed studies or government statistics that contradict all three of these statements.

Do you suppose there is anyone in Texas, or anywhere else, that can claim their $10,000 reward?

Not according to any research or common sense.  In the United States the number of deaths attributable to alcohol (over 100,000) exceeds fatalities attributable to all illicit drugs by a factor of more than 4.  Most fatalities attributable to illicit drugs are from the spread of AIDS.  A study by Brandeis University and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation  corroborates the overwhelming effect of alcohol relative to marijuana and other drugs, including the following passage: 

“Alcohol remains the number one drug of choice among both adolescents and adults and is the most widely available drug.  Rates of dependency associated with alcohol use are higher than those for illicit drugs.  Consequently, alcohol is listed most often as the primary drug of abuse among those in substance abuse treatment.  Further, the economic cost of alcohol abuse exceeds that of either tobacco or illicit drugs”

So for those drug warriors out there, when are you going to take away my beer?  When are you going to reinstate the 18th amendment?  When are you going to bring back Al Capone and Bugs Moran to compete with today’s drug gangs?  Can you honestly claim to fight the war on drugs while ignoring the most dangerous drug?

So in closing, I challenge you to admit that you a drug user.  I also challenge you to admit that addiction to government is worse.

Sláinte.