Drugs

[inlaterdays]

Artist Takes Every Drug Known to Man, Draws Self Portraits After Each Use:

http://cultso.com/artist-takes-every-drug-...after-each-use/

 

Well, not quite every drug known to man - he'd never complete it in his lifetime! But it is interesting.

Very interesting (and scary) - but on some of these he must have just been trying out different art styles?

 

e.g. "250mg Cephalexin" - this is an antibiotic used to treat bladder infections, among other things, and 250 mg is a very low dose. It doesn't do anything at all to you except make the infection go away. Even when you don't have an infection, people prone to UTIs are sometimes given this to take daily to prevent them. It's really, really mild.

 

Confusing.

[SkylerFarrier]

I'm against it. Drugs ruin people's lives, more than just the user's.

HOWEVER, I don't have a problem with medical marijuana, provided it is closely regulated.

[~Kat~]

And so do legal drugs. There's no difference between the two, or the damage they cause, hence the point that the laws aren't doing any good. We're not going to mkae cough syrup illegal now, are we? And if we did, would it do jack crap to help the problem? Does sending Billie Bob Joe to jail for life for growing a PLANT do anything to help the problem? No. Our tax money is being wasted to feed, clothe, and care for people who have committed no crime except against themselves. The USE and POSSESSION of drugs should not be a crime. It's ridiculous. It's clearly done no good. The "War on Drugs" is the worst thing to happen to our nation since prohibition. Remember how prohibition worked out? Black markets, people got alcohol anyways, crime rates went up, prisons filled up, all because we made something illegal that should be up to individual choice? Yeah, that's exactly what's happening here.

 

Why on earth should we prosecute medical users of marijuana for "abusing" it, if they so happened to want to use it in a recreational manner?? O.o

 

The answer to drug use among teens isn't invading Mexico. First, that would be an act of war against a sovereign nation. Second, there is plenty of drug production going on in America. Legalize it, regulate it, tax it, and bam. It's just like alcohol.

 

 

You reasoning would necessitate a second prohibition on alcoholic beverages, because alcohol does just as much to impair judgment and ruin lives as any drug does. Are you in favor of making alcohol illegal? If not, your position is inconsistent.

I agree alcohol mess's up peoples lives as well. Legal drugs like pain prescriptions can mess up lives to. Illegal drugs mess peoples lives up more than alcohol or legal drugs depending on what type of illegal drugs you do.

 

Unless something is done to stop the Drug Cartels, and hardcore sellers and pushers, people are only putting bandaids on things.

 

I am sorry it is not my state of mind that says just because it is your life, you can do as you please with things that are illegal.

 

My thoughts on this is people do not want to obey the laws that are put in place. Life is not a free for all as it can cause problems for that person and others around them lke family, friends and even people they do not know. Tax payers also have to pay for people who are irresponsible with things, depending on what it is.

[SilverX7Studios]

I believe illegal drugs should remain illegal, except in medical cases where they can save lives.

 

Artist Takes Every Drug Known to Man, Draws Self Portraits After Each Use:

 

http://cultso.com/artist-takes-every-drug-...after-each-use/

 

Well, not quite every drug known to man - he'd never complete it in his lifetime! But it is interesting.

 

Oh . That bath salts one. That was disturbing. O_O Stories about bath salts always scare me. They're really horrifying.

 

._.

Edited September 18, 2012 by SilverX7Studios

[~Kat~]

People who do illegal drugs, and not all, will do harder drugs such as the bath salts, and look what happens to those people and the people around them.

 

Illegal drugs make people commit murder and they do not even realize they did it. But, sorry, I have no pity for those that are under the influence of illegal drugs and commit crimes. They get what they deserve. Most people have read or know what some illegal drugs can do to you. So, they take thier lives and others lives in their hands for making a very bad choice.

[Vhale]

The Mexican Cartels. THing is, MExico is trying the very thing that is being suggested here. They basically declared war on them and sent out the army. The worst Mexican Cartel is the Zetas, which were originally military that were trained to take out the Cartel, but switched. And to a degree, the campaign is working. By that I mean the Cartels are moving south into other countries. But, let's take things from a practical point of view.

 

Bombing. Is it realistic? Let's think about the size of the bomb that would be needed to take out a city infested with dealers. You would have to use a nuke, right? Even the atomic bomb didn't actually wipe out an entire city, did it? I'm no expert on bombs, but this leads me to think that the only weapon capable of taking out an entire city would be a nuclear warhead. And I believe that as the Zetas are ex-military, they know this and they are in bunkers. So, you might not even get them then.

 

Other countries have seen what has happened with Mexico and they see these cartels moving their way. So, they are having to make a choice. To they also declare war, or do they legalize.

 

Here in the US, we've been on the drug war for 40 years. We haven't won. We have the highest prison rate in the world. Portugal however, has decriminalized and cut their drug use in half, in 10 years. IF what little I've read is true, I'm not well researched on this.

Edited September 18, 2012 by Vhale

[philpot123]

People who do illegal drugs, and not all, will do harder drugs such as the bath salts, and look what happens to those people and the people around them.

 

Illegal drugs make people commit murder and they do not even realize they did it. But, sorry, I have no pity for those that are under the influence of illegal drugs and commit crimes. They get what they deserve. Most people have read or know what some illegal drugs can do to you. So, they take thier lives and others lives in their hands for making a very bad choice.

Bath salt use will taper out and potential users will return to more "predictable" hard drugs like meth. The only reason people do bath salts is a cheap high, but even the people who look for that are realizing that bath salts screws you up enough to where they should look elsewhere for a rush.

 

Yes, they do. So, rather than punishing someone for harming their own body, why not punish them if they commit a crime while doing it?

Edited September 19, 2012 by philpot123

[AngelKitty]

So that this response to Emeraldmay in the other thread doesn't go to waste:

 

I had a debate on Cannabis in Biology (I was against legalization)

 

This is one of the sources I used (it is Christian), and it has some amazing points which completely won me over Before I was just neutral - it's their life, let them ruin  it. Now I'm pretty against

 

http://www.christian.org.uk/html-publicati...cannabis.htm#q1

 

Well, it's Christian, so I automatically didn't trust it, but I went through and read it anyway.

 

And, as expected, it's full of holes, deliberately misleading wording ("There is an established link between schizophrenia and cannabis" makes it sound like pot causes schizophrenia, which is untrue, but it can aggravate pre-existing conditions), using studies on extreme usage to argue against occasional usage (as in the study on respiratory effects, "Respiratory Symptoms and Lung Function in Habitual, Heavy

Smokers of Marijuana Alone," it's in the fracking TITLE), and, of course, using arguments against pot that could just as easily be used more effectively against cigarettes and alcohol (It affects the mind! It affects driving! It causes cancer! So do cigarettes and alcohol, and yet those are legal), and ignoring or contradicting information from the studies they cite ("A cannabis smoker may not be aware of any deficit," when Sexton's The Influence of Cannabis on Driving says the opposite).

 

Arguments for legalization: not demolished. I didn't learn anything I didn't already know: pot ranges from "less bad" to "just as bad" as cigarettes and alcohol when it comes to the commonly discussed factors such as mind alteration and lasting effects. There are no reasons for keeping pot illegal that don't also apply to cigarettes and alcohol.

[Kestra15]

It has been proven on several counts now that cannabis not only exacerbates pre-existing mental conditions, but is now being linked to causing destabilising mental conditions as well. And you're right, many arguments can also be used against tobacco and alcohol - and they are, for good reason. Alcohol is a massive killer and ruins countless lives, and smoking isn't much better either. But because they are so ingrained into our society we cannot effectively remove them, and never will. But we still have a chance with doing so for cannabis, which is why we argue against it.

 

If alcohol was brought out today, it would be rated as a Class B/C drug, and within a few years most likely put up a Class. Why? The amount of deaths, injuries and long-term damage it does ot someone, how addictive it is, etc etc. Just take a look around an ED on weekend nights and note how many people are in there because of alcohol being primary or contributing cause, how many people are in ICU because of ALD (Alcoholic Liver Disease), and you'll start to realise how big a killer alcohol is.

[brairtrainer]

So that this response to Emeraldmay in the other thread doesn't go to waste:

 

 

 

Well, it's Christian, so I automatically didn't trust it, but I went through and read it anyway.

 

And, as expected, it's full of holes, deliberately misleading wording ("There is an established link between schizophrenia and cannabis" makes it sound like pot causes schizophrenia, which is untrue, but it can aggravate pre-existing conditions), using studies on extreme usage to argue against occasional usage (as in the study on respiratory effects, "Respiratory Symptoms and Lung Function in Habitual, Heavy

Smokers of Marijuana Alone," it's in the fracking TITLE), and, of course, using arguments against pot that could just as easily be used more effectively against cigarettes and alcohol (It affects the mind! It affects driving! It causes cancer! So do cigarettes and alcohol, and yet those are legal), and ignoring or contradicting information from the studies they cite ("A cannabis smoker may not be aware of any deficit," when Sexton's The Influence of Cannabis on Driving says the opposite).

 

Arguments for legalization: not demolished. I didn't learn anything I didn't already know: pot ranges from "less bad" to "just as bad" as cigarettes and alcohol when it comes to the commonly discussed factors such as mind alteration and lasting effects. There are no reasons for keeping pot illegal that don't also apply to cigarettes and alcohol.

Note about schizophrenia: several things can aggrivate it including some ADD/ADHD medicine

 

So I don't see this being an argument against marijuana as long as it carries a warning that it could aggrivate certain illness's and that you should talk to a doctor if you start having certain symptoms.

[blah]

I haven't heard any personal accounts of someone going bonkers after hitting it a couple times. (For the record, I haven't seen anything on the internet about it, either.)

A bad trip is a definite possibility and it is an awful experience. It also happens more often than one would think and while one doesn't "go bonkers" it can leave one pretty badly shaken.

 

There is no denying long term effects either. Habitual users change, become detached, develop weird priorities and care less in general. That isn't "bonkers" either, but it is bad enough.

 

That's a sweeping generalization you say? I say it's experience and I haven't ever seen it not happen.

 

(It's a good anti-depressant vs. it's not.) I know I'd rather be prescribed that than other, possibly more addicting drugs, for anything any day...

 

Modern antidepressant are not addictive. In (German) clinical use, you mostly find selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (I know, but that's the name ). There may be a rebound effect, but you will not be addicted.

[angelicdragonpuppy]

I'm not into drugs myself and I don't much support them becoming legal. I mean, alcohol is legal, and look at all the people who kill themselves/kill other people/rape people/get taken advantage of after they get drunk. Since most people are incapable of using alcohol responsibly, I feel like opening up another means by which people can render their brains insensible is a bad call.

 

I also have a really hard time picturing any scenario in which "medical" marijuana accomplishes something that a more controlled drug can't.

 

I'm also not fond of the "legalize it, then punish if they hurt someone because of it" mentality. There was a creeper living on our street who would sit in our neighbor's bushes and watch their kids playing, but because he hadn't done anyone any harm YET, he was never stopped in any way. The cops decided to sit around on their arses and wait until he actually hurt someone to step in (which, thank God, never happened). Legalizing drugs and then punishing the crimes that occur because of them is equally stupid. If someone on drugs is going to be that much more likely to hurt themselves or others, either from rash decisions or driving while high or aggression or who knows what else, are you just going to sit on the sidelines and wait until someone has been victimized to step in? That's dumb. Stop it BEFORE someone gets hurt.

Edited December 5, 2012 by angelicdragonpuppy

[philpot123]

It has been proven on several counts now that cannabis not only exacerbates pre-existing mental conditions, but is now being linked to causing destabilising mental conditions as well. And you're right, many arguments can also be used against tobacco and alcohol - and they are, for good reason. Alcohol is a massive killer and ruins countless lives, and smoking isn't much better either. But because they are so ingrained into our society we cannot effectively remove them, and never will. But we still have a chance with doing so for cannabis, which is why we argue against it.

 

If alcohol was brought out today, it would be rated as a Class B/C drug, and within a few years most likely put up a Class. Why? The amount of deaths, injuries and long-term damage it does ot someone, how addictive it is, etc etc. Just take a look around an ED on weekend nights and note how many people are in there because of alcohol being primary or contributing cause, how many people are in ICU because of ALD (Alcoholic Liver Disease), and you'll start to realise how big a killer alcohol is.

So do you believe alcohol should be made illegal because of the harm it causes? Or should we let it alone because it's so ingrained in the culture? Just curious

[brairtrainer]

angelicdragonpuppy-sometimes a more controled drug can't do what marijuana can for a patient, or the patient is allergic or has a seceptability to becoming addicted to certain pain medication and so needs something different to avoid it (knew a guy who after being hurt got addicted to vicadin, he got himself off, but in the process he became addicted to caffine. His doctor had him wear a caffine patch and made a note that it was extremely easy for him to become dependent on some substances).

 

Also concerning my take on alcohol, its too ingrained to leave and we need to educate youth on how to drink responsibly. My boyfriend has since he was nineteen been given alcoholic beverages on specail occasions by his dad (1 beverage per night some times 2) when the family wasn't going out. My boyfriend is not able to buy alcohol on his own but by safely drinking with his family is learning how to drink responsably. I will note that where we live if the parents are supervising the drinking of the underage person and there is no proof of the underage person abusing alcohol it is legal.

 

I personally don't like the taste of alcohol and have to have something carbonated as well as water next to me to help me stand wine. Yes I'm underage but the situation where I was tasting was under my moms observation. I'm also safely learning to drink from this.

 

There are several countries where children are allowed to drink (read have a little bit of wine with dinner as a tween) and they have lower intoxication rates than we do because the children grow up with a different view on alcohol and learn how to drink it correctly.

[AngelKitty]

It has been proven on several counts now that cannabis not only exacerbates pre-existing mental conditions, but is now being linked to causing destabilising mental conditions as well.

 

Were these studies controlled for genetic predisposition to such illnesses? Did the subjects start using marijuana as kids, adolescents, or adults? And how much pot did the subjects use? Are we talking heavy users (multiple joints a day), casual users (a joint every couple of days), or occasional users (a joint once every couple of weeks/months)? Everything I'm finding on the subject suggests this occurs mostly in people who use it regularly or people who start as children, when their brain is still developing (and can have that development altered by drugs).

 

I doubt that a joint every now and then is going to cause mental illness, just like a drink every now and then isn't going to give you liver failure. All in moderation, and of course kids shouldn't be using recreational drugs.

Edited December 5, 2012 by AngelKitty

[Kestra15]

So do you believe alcohol should be made illegal because of the harm it causes? Or should we let it alone because it's so ingrained in the culture? Just curious

In an ideal society, yes, I would love alcohol to be taken out of the picture. Much as I too love a good drink (case in point; last night I had my last bottle of the summer batch of home-brew strawberry wine and a litre of scrumpy), being front-line at the nightclub means I've seen a lot of harm from alcohol, and in ICU I've seen a lot worse.

 

But the plain fact is that removing alcohol from society would not work because it *is* so ingrained, and so easy to make as well; again for example, I bottled my super-strength wine last night and still have a gallon of Turbo cider brewing in my kitchenette. All I needed to make the Turbo was some apple juice and a sachet of yeast, nothing more, so even if we did ban alcohol and make it illegal then it would be far to easy to break the law. I believe the USA has already demonstrated the futility of outlawing alcohol.

 

So, like tobacco and paracetamol, it is our cross to bear, even though I would love to see it taken out of mainstream society. All we can do is teach people to drink responsibility, in moderation, hope they listen, and continue to waste billions of dollars every year patching up those who over-indulge for whatever reason.

Were these studies controlled for genetic predisposition to such illnesses? Did the subjects start using marijuana as kids, adolescents, or adults? And how much pot did the subjects use? Are we talking heavy users (multiple joints a day), casual users (a joint every couple of days), or occasional users (a joint once every couple of weeks/months)? Everything I'm finding on the subject suggests this occurs mostly in people who use it regularly or people who start as children, when their brain is still developing (and can have that development altered by drugs).

 

I doubt that a joint every now and then is going to cause mental illness, just like a drink every now and then isn't going to give you liver failure. All in moderation, and of course kids shouldn't be using recreational drugs.

Sadly I can't access the medical journals from home at the moment otherwise I would be able to more accurately answer these questions for you. I will see if I can get back to you about all that, but the literature Amerylis and I have come into contact with is fairly compelling, and the plain science of it points to the same thing; cannabis is dangerous.

 

Just to add: The biggest problem with research into any illegal drug is that the data can never be fully accurate, because drug use is illegal and thus those taking it aren't always happy to make it known that they are taking drugs let alone take part in long-term studies!

Edited December 6, 2012 by Kestra15

[MedievalMystic]

I'm for legalizing marijuana, but that's about it. Hard drugs scare the hell out of me. I don't approve of them and the thought of going down that road is the stuff of nightmares to me. I don't like the thought of anything that can absolutely, totally and completely, control someone the way hard drugs do. When you'll sell your mother/brother/sister/wife/kids out without a thought for your next high, as far as I'm concerned, there's a big, fat problem with that. I watched a friend of mine lose her home, car, land, life, thanks to her husbands habit. Weed? Eh. You don't get addicted, and you can't OD. And it's a natural plant, not some manufactured chemical with God knows what in it. At least with MJ you know what you're getting. I haven't heard of anyone losing their house over it yet. Between alcohol and majijuana, majijuana is the lesser of the two evils, imo. Moderation is definitely key.

Edited December 6, 2012 by MedievalMystic

[amerylis]

The trouble with research into schedule 1 (on the misuse of drugs act) drugs which are by and large the illegal drugs with no medicinal use is you need a special license to manufacture, hold, use, prescribe,store these drugs and companies just don't get to it. This man, Prof. David Nutt has done a lot of research into illegal drugs and their affects. I heard him speak last week and it is fascinating. Yes some of these drugs do a lot less harm than alcohol but it is also true that they all need (IMO) some form of regulation. I dearly wish alcohol and tobacco could be more strongly regulated.

[philpot123]

In an ideal society, yes, I would love alcohol to be taken out of the picture. Much as I too love a good drink (case in point; last night I had my last bottle of the summer batch of home-brew strawberry wine and a litre of scrumpy), being front-line at the nightclub means I've seen a lot of harm from alcohol, and in ICU I've seen a lot worse.

 

But the plain fact is that removing alcohol from society would not work because it *is* so ingrained, and so easy to make as well; again for example, I bottled my super-strength wine last night and still have a gallon of Turbo cider brewing in my kitchenette. All I needed to make the Turbo was some apple juice and a sachet of yeast, nothing more, so even if we did ban alcohol and make it illegal then it would be far to easy to break the law. I believe the USA has already demonstrated the futility of outlawing alcohol.

 

So, like tobacco and paracetamol, it is our cross to bear, even though I would love to see it taken out of mainstream society. All we can do is teach people to drink responsibility, in moderation, hope they listen, and continue to waste billions of dollars every year patching up those who over-indulge for whatever reason.

I completely understand. So you wouldn't say that alcohol itself is the source of the problems stemming from it, but rather the availability/commonness coupled with a lack of common sense and self-restraint?

 

It seems to me that you and others I know are shining examples of why alcohol is perfectly reasonable in the hands of the right person. I can't help but wonder if we're just missing the mark somewhere on the whole "teaching people to drink responsibly" thing. Have you seen anything in particular in your work that you believe to be effective in training people how to NOT kill themselves with alcohol?

[Kestra15]

I completely understand. So you wouldn't say that alcohol itself is the source of the problems stemming from it, but rather the availability/commonness coupled with a lack of common sense and self-restraint?

 

It seems to me that you and others I know are shining examples of why alcohol is perfectly reasonable in the hands of the right person. I can't help but wonder if we're just missing the mark somewhere on the whole "teaching people to drink responsibly" thing. Have you seen anything in particular in your work that you believe to be effective in training people how to NOT kill themselves with alcohol?

A bit of both. Alcohol is a poison and is harmful to the body, so even a sensible drinker can fall foul of it. But at the same time it is the combination of lack of control/restraint, lack of responsibility and high availability/commercial success that makes it such a dangerous drug.

 

As for what I've seen? Sadly I can't video or photo my patients, but yes, I have seen oh-so-much that, if you saw it, you'd probably never want to drink again. Your liver packing in and your kidneys failing is a long, painful way to die. The sheer amount of damage people to do themselves and others is horrendous. Red-eye always freaks me a little bit, how yellow and emaciated someone can become, the seizures that last far, far too long, sitting in pools of their own bodily fluids. How someone just loses their entire personality and becomes an aggressive, incoherent rage machine who lashes out at their best friends and those of us trying to help them. And the injuries associated - I sent five people to hospital on Saturday night, one of which was in a life-threatening state, from injuries sustained from drinking. One person refused and will now most likely have a damaged knee for life.

 

But the problem is words won't do it justice, and people think they are invincible. Everyone says 'oh, that'll never be me,' but it can and it will. I am acutely aware that I drunk a *lot* of alcohol last year to the point that I was genuinely concerned I was developing a drinking problem - even with all I'd seen - and both Amerylis and Hazel raised concerns. I wasn't getting drunk - because I've seen enough to know I don't want to do that ever again, and I don't want to lose Amerylis - but I was having a can or two a night at some points. Yes, I was depressed. Yes, I was in a job that is so mentally taxing that sometimes all you can do is drink and forget about it. But it is such a fine line!

 

(It doesn't help that I started home-brewing wine!)

 

I had a drugs talk from a front-line drugs officer when I was seventeen, and he was the best talk in the world - because he *could* show us the pictures of his cases. The worst? A man OD'ed on a cocktail of drugs and alcohol and passed out in his chair. Unconcious, he threw up over himself, then had excessive diarrhea as his body tried to expell the drugs in his system. His stomach contractions were so strong it sucked the diarrhea up through his body and out his mouth, and his body then started to bleed from every orifice - eyes, ears, nose, the lot.

 

When his body was found a week later, imagine how badly his stomach juices had corroded his skin.

 

There was that, the pictures of a man who had tried to chop the head of his g/f off with a knife because he thought she'd turned into a snake (LSD/cannabis flashback), the girl who died of a heroin OD, and so much more gruesome stuff.

[pphillip]

I think that some drugs aren't too bad, but most are. So i don't support them and arent they legal somewhere in the USA

[futuregohangurl]

i heard marijuana is less harmful to you than alcohol. sometimes i think they should make alcohol illegal again with all the problems relating to it. i heard they were legalizing pot in some states in the u.s.

 

 

i feel the harder drugs cocaine, heroine., crystal meth, ectstacy should never be legalized

[StormWizard212]

The thing that concerns me is all the research around marijuana acting as a catalyst for pre-existing mental conditions. My family has a massive history of schizophrenia which is why I've always stayed away from marijuana myself. I'm fine at the moment, but I have no way of knowing if my body has the capacity for schizophrenia and it's just sitting there below the surface waiting to come out.

 

If that's the case, I'd like to delay it as long as possible, not potentially bring it to the surface before its time because of drugs.

 

Now I know that it's not harmful to everyone and many people have used it all their lives with no ill effects, but given the research around it and schizophrenia, and the fact that it's deeply ingrained in my family, I've always been wary and cautious.

 

But if someone has evidence that proves my hesitation wrong, then by all means show me. But until I see evidence that it won't potentially flip a switch in my brain, I'm keeping my distance.

[Kestra15]

Cannabis, Cannabinoids and Cancer: http://scienceblog.cancerresearchuk.org/20...vidence-so-far/

[~Kat~]

Marijuana Legalization Creates Problems On The Roads

 

http://autos.aol.com/article/pot-marijuana...26pLid%3D259097