[PUG] The Drug Culture

[Entyqua]

OK...so I started my thoughts in another thread this morning, and decided this needs its own topic...I have INTENSE feelings about The drug culture and some of you are very aware of it. I am VERY sensitive about it, and most likely will not be overly attentive when this thread heats up...but I am allowing intense debate on this because I think I need to see it. I am not a debater, and I never will be...but I NEED to get this out...I have also decided to make this a poll to see how many of us have been affected in some way by this problem.


OK...So I posted yesterday that I was worried about my husband being caught up near a raid for a cop killer...he was found this morning and is now safely out of society...but its the reason this man killed a cop that gets me...

DRUGS Pure and simple...

The man has a rap sheet that is nearly as old as I am. ALL felony drug charges...and hes free to muck about the world making more drug deals...Killing a woman, a mother, for only doing her job. Trying to bust a drug deal.

I know Drug laws are very lax...but why oh why...when this man is so obviously a loose cannon...I mean the guy even had a my space page (the cops have since disabled it) that depicted him with many guns, and sayings like "I'm Ready" in the captions...

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=9247280

There is a link to the news story from this morning...

I know for me personally I have SEVERAL friends who use, or have used. As well as the death of some one I loved very dearly.

So the poll question is Have you been affected directly or indirectly by the drug culture?

the topic of talk is that, as well as how a man like Roman, after three FELONY drug charges can still be free to roam the streets sell drugs and bear arms? I am just sick...

 

[Afrelen]

Yes. I lost a good friend in High School to it. I won't go into details, but I'll say the drug culture in our hometown was overwhelmingly present in the schools. I was a lucky one, I managed to avoid getting much more involved than having many friends who were users of some sort.

 

[Entyqua]

Yes. I lost a good friend in High School to it. I won't go into details, but I'll say the drug culture in our hometown was overwhelmingly present in the schools. I was a lucky one, I managed to avoid getting much more involved than having many friends who were users of some sort.

I am the same...Mine was a Fiance...I never got into anything...and that scared me away from ever wanting to try. The drug culture was HUGE in my school...everyone around me was doing something or another...hell half of them dropped acid in the lunch room!

 

[NeverAmI]

I believe alcohol is a drug, more of a drug than marijuana, and it definitely tops my charts as the largest influence on me.

I have known more people that have died, or should have died, due to alcohol related incidents than anything else. This is in regards to drunk driving and also alcohol poisoning.

Methamphetamine is a close 2nd.

But whether alcohol is relevant is for Enty to decide.

 

[Entyqua]

I believe alcohol is a drug, more of a drug than marijuana, and it definitely tops my charts as the largest influence on me.

I have known more people that have died, or should have died, due to alcohol related incidents than anything else. This is in regards to drunk driving and also alcohol poisoning.

Methamphetamine is a close 2nd.

But whether alcohol is relevant is for Enty to decide.

Alcohol is relevant...and a major cause of death in my family as well...While I started this post mostly about substance abuse...and illegal drugs...I am open to additional topics...

 

[AUM]

Yes, I'm being directly affected by drugs. My city and country is going through the worst drug wars in history. There's an average of 15 drug related murderers each day and these same drug cartels are going though our houses and asking for money to support their "cause" and if we do not cooperate we die.

 

[Entyqua]

Its interesting to me that so far...though there are only 5 votes...its 80/20 split...the same as our prison here...80% are in for drugs...

How can we fix this problem? How do we start?

I mean...we are more likely to be killed for drug money (ie a user needing a fix) then we are by drunk driving these days...Its scary!

 

[Entyqua]

Yes, I'm being directly affected by drugs. My city and country is going through the worst drug wars in history. There's an average of 15 drug related murderers each day and these same drug cartels are going though our houses and asking for money to support their "cause" and if we do not cooperate we die.

Oh my! How awful!!

There are many murders like that here too

Utah is currently the TOP for prescription substance abuse!

 

[slant]

Both of my parents are alcoholics in recovery and I am the founder of a youth program which is a support group for kids of parents or people who are in recovery. You'll soon be hearing more about this youth group I think we're getting a documentary done about us, I don't think I'll be one of the stories that they feature but yeah.

Drugs have indirectly effected my life because many of my family members are drug addicts and alcoholics who've decided not to go into recovery. It's damaging, I can't visit with my cousins because of my drunken aunt.

 

[Entyqua]

Both of my parents are alcoholics in recovery and I am the founder of a youth program which is a support group for kids of parents or people who are in recovery. You'll soon be hearing more about this youth group I think we're getting a documentary done about us, I don't think I'll be one of the stories that they feature but yeah.

Drugs have indirectly effected my life because many of my family members are drug addicts and alcoholics who've decided not to go into recovery. It's damaging, I can't visit with my cousins because of my drunken aunt.

Your group sounds wonderful! When this documentary comes to be tell me about it...I would love to watch it...

I notice those who say no are not responding...Surely if you have not been affected in SOME way...even a friend who uses...you would have an opinion on this problem...please share.

 

[slant]

it's because they use drugs in their spare time and do not have an addiction problem with them -so they think-

when benw see's this thread he'll rip it up, that's a promise.

 

[Entyqua]

it's because they use drugs in their spare time and do not have an addiction problem with them -so they think-

when benw see's this thread he'll rip it up, that's a promise.

I have no doubts this thread will get ripped up...I kind of figured...hence the PUG...I think I need the debate about it...

 

[randomsomeone]

There are many things...such as addictions...that rob us of our human potential and efface the native goodness that is our destiny. The illusion is that they will bring us some benefit...but the legacy of these has been shown to be nothing but destruction. They are non-starters and not worth our limited time in this life.

 

[Solongo]

I do not dwell with the hard core drugs. Perhpas alcohol and wine when the mood strikes me. but I am more of a natural medicine type of person....

I have met very cool people through marijuana connections....

 

[bamf]

I don't know if I should be posting in this thread, due to my history and it's personal nature with me, so I'll try to keep this brief. Drugs have affected me personally. Hospital visits, court dates, being arrested, and even long term lasting side-effects to my vision.

Drugs can be a bad thing, but they're never going away (at least I don't see it happening). I think many of the drug laws are ridiculous. Users and abusers of drugs are treated the same as the people dealing. The people who need help are being locked up with the very people who can supply them with drugs.

My nation has the highest prison population in the world, and a majority of those prisoners are non-violent criminals who are locked up on drug charges. I find that wrong, and sickening. This man is proof (if he was a drug user, I'm not sure if thats what his charges were or not) that the prison system is not the way to fix the drug culture.

I'm not going to go into a zealous speel about it, but I don't believe our system is working.

 

[Entyqua]

There are many things...such as addictions...that rob us of our human potential and efface the native goodness that is our destiny. The illusion is that they will bring us some benefit...but the legacy of these has been shown to be nothing but destruction. They are non-starters and not worth our limited time in this life.

True...very true...And those around you...are affected as well...You bring them down with you...where ever you go, you take them down with you...

I know...because a large part of me Died the day my fiance did...part of me is buried with him...Just like part of his mother, and brother...Friends, coworkers...all dragged down with him...

the user who steals from his elderly mother just to get a fix...

the user who put himself on the street because of the addiction now doing things like mugging, and robbing just to get a fix...things they would never do...

 

[slant]

Yeah but then people are going to come in an argue that mind altering drugs can effect the brain in a positive way and that there are studies that lead us to think that drugs such as marijuana can effect a person positively, and they'll bring in the one glass of wine a day arguement and then they will cite all sorts of studies that in fact do lead people to question whether or not drugs have an entirely negative effect.


Then the other side will come in and argue that the bad outweighs the good and look how many people have died from overdoses and drunk car accidents and how negatively addiction can effect people's lives.

Then the other side will come in and say that not everyone gets addicted it's only a rare few that misuse the drugs and that nobody's ever overdosed on marijuana, and eventually one person will start turning the debate into whether drugs should be legalized or not.

Then the other side will be all stubborn and will not want to look at the possibility that drugs could be good for people and that the other sides are complete idiots.

The other side will continue to debate that drugs have a positive effect on the brain and that addiction is a sham and everything will cycle from that point, it will become a debate upon the definition of addiction and a variety of other terms and question whether the sources of the studies done on the brain were valid or not.

 

[Questingpoet]

I will say that drugs have not affected me in a large way. I dabbled with several drugs in college. Never got hooked on anything thank god. Alcohol is another story. Both my paternal grandmother and maternal grandfather where stone-cold alcoholics. My grandfather died of it when my mom was 9 yrs old. I myself have to watch my intake when things start going bad. Alcohol has done more damage than all the other drugs combined.

I did have a cousin die this last year of drug-related pheumonia. It was very sad, as he was only 30 and has a daughter Chealsa's age. He was not real close, the drugs kept him away from all of us.

My personal opinion is that they should make pot legal, tax it, and control it. Use that money to combat the more distructive drugs. Pot is no more distructive than tobacco or alcohol. We tie up too many resources fighting it--it's stupid. And I don't believe for a second that it leads to harder drug use anymore than alcohol does. If booze is legal, pot should be too. Just my two cents.

 

[Entyqua]

I don't know if I should be posting in this thread, due to my history and it's personal nature with me, so I'll try to keep this brief. Drugs have affected me personally. Hospital visits, court dates, being arrested, and even long term lasting side-effects to my vision.

Drugs can be a bad thing, but they're never going away (at least I don't see it happening). I think many of the drug laws are ridiculous. Users and abusers of drugs are treated the same as the people dealing. The people who need help are being locked up with the very people who can supply them with drugs.

My nation has the highest prison population in the world, and a majority of those prisoners are non-violent criminals who are locked up on drug charges. I find that wrong, and sickening. This man is proof (if he was a drug user, I'm not sure if thats what his charges were or not) that the prison system is not the way to fix the drug culture.

I'm not going to go into a zealous speel about it, but I don't believe our system is working.

Thank you for sharing some of your personal history...

i agree it isnt working

though no this man has felony distribution charges...he SHOULD be locked up longer! He is causing some of the problem! I agree that users should be helped not treated just as the distributors.

 

[Entyqua]

Yeah but then people are going to come in an argue that mind altering drugs can effect the brain in a positive way and that there are studies that lead us to think that drugs such as marijuana can effect a person positively, and they'll bring in the one glass of wine a day arguement and then they will cite all sorts of studies that in fact do lead people to question whether or not drugs have an entirely negative effect.


Then the other side will come in and argue that the bad outweighs the good and look how many people have died from overdoses and drunk car accidents and how negatively addiction can effect people's lives.

Then the other side will come in and say that not everyone gets addicted it's only a rare few that misuse the drugs and that nobody's ever overdosed on marijuana, and eventually one person will start turning the debate into whether drugs should be legalized or not.

Then the other side will be all stubborn and will not want to look at the possibility that drugs could be good for people and that the other sides are complete idiots.

The other side will continue to debate that drugs have a positive effect on the brain and that addiction is a sham and everything will cycle from that point, it will become a debate upon the definition of addiction and a variety of other terms and question whether the sources of the studies done on the brain were valid or not.

Way to outline the outcome of the whole thread!