Reply #161: You need to pay attention. I didn't say drug use and race were the same.

[Wizard777]

Just the mechanism of Bigotry and discrimination used against them. Different people have different way on handling desperation. It doesn't really matter if that desperation is induced by drug use or even a disaster. During Katrina, if that is the condition you place upon generosity or charity, you could have found plenty of hungry people at the super dome willing to suck your dick for a corn dog. But Katrina and FEMA's non response wouldn't have been the only thing victimizing those people. Uh huh. The difference between you and I is that I'm 77 years old. I remember America before we had these oppressive drug laws and an even more oppressive Black Market crushing people between a rock and a hard place. We had drugs and we had people that used drugs. We didn't have the crimes and we didn't have the desperation induced by the government and black market engaging in flank attacks upon individuals en masse. They try to make life as hard as possible for drug users. Just like they used to make life as hard as possible for blacks and other minorities. This isn't something off the top of my head. I've studying this for quite some time. I assure you the elements are there.

Their problems are not entirely of their own creation. You can't expect them to take responsibility for the problems they cause themselves unless you're also willing to take responsibility for the problems society causes them with drug laws that maintain a black market. As far as I'm concerned that is equally irresponsible. Here in Baltimore we are beginning to take responsibility for the harm society can cause drug users. We are experimenting with harm reduction. It's working. We have been able to reduce our Overdose death rate. That comes from a combination of treatment and tolerance. It doesn't have to be one or the other. We can have both and we can make both work for the individual. This includes prescribing Narcan to users of heroin and other opiates. The greatest and most effective harm reduction will come with legalization and regulation of the drug market.

Why people go off on these years or even decades long binges of self destruction. Much like you, they don't know any better. They don't know any other way. They just accept that's how it is. That induces the hopelessness that marks the beginning of the decline. I'm 77 years old and I've smoking marijuana since I was 9. I've used everything from opium to cocaine to LSD and more. I've never had any of these problems modern users encounter. But I also don't use drugs to simply get high. I use them entheogenically (Sacramental.) My uses have purpose and direction. The effects are creative, enlightening and personally enriching. There is a better way. The people uses of these substances has always been religious. They are tools of the Maji. This government has bastardized them into weapons of war against a population they would rather imprison and destroy than serve as Constitutionally mandated. These substances compel spiritual states devoid of materialism. Our capitalist society considers that lack of materialism to be the greatest of sins. God's not going to tolerate this any longer. I promise you that.

In my religion I am both a Priest and long awaited Prophet. People come to me and they say, Magus Amathion my kid is smoking crack and it's taken everything they own from them. I tell them, You're a Christian. What difference does it make if it's crack or a guy named Jesus telling them to leave all their worldly possessions behind and follow me? Either way they don't have a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out of. Either way God is preparing them for a spiritual quest. The only problem I have with what your kid is doing is not understanding that God is preparing them for a spiritual quest. Once you make sure they understand that. You have to let go and let God. That's His child too. You raised the child and he will raise the man.

So now hopefully you better understand where I'm coming from. I have thousands of years of history behind my position on this. It is long though out, well formed, gaining in popularity and utilization.