Marijuana is also literally up to 10 times stronger than it was back in the doper parents’ generation. Yet not only is “recreational” marijuana legal in many states, it is easier for teenagers to engage in drug use than it is to purchase cigarettes (for which one has to be 21 in many places, as opposed to 18 for drug paraphernalia).
This is so even though it has been shown that marijuana, especially at those concentrations, impacts the development of the brain in teenagers and can result not only in a lifelong drop in IQ, but in the development of paranoia and other psychotic manifestations.
Still, drug use is being virtually encouraged among adolescents. Why is anybody surprised at the results? And why is anybody surprised that they are using heroin as well?
The 20 yr old guy who shot up the mall in Jersey last week was a virtual walking cocktail of drugs, and had been a heavy user of virtually anything he could get his hands on since early adolescence. That’s why he disappeared from the news so fast. Doesn’t go with the peaceful doper meme.
The results of the Swiss Heroin-assisted Treatment Program.
Their addiction rate is dropping by 4% a year and they’ve reduced deaths to OD to ZERO. Their rates of hepatitis and AIDS are dropping. They are getting far fewer new addicts each year. Kids are not as attracted to the drug as it’s seen as ‘uncool’. Addicts are always given the opportunity for rehab through the program and many take it. Many addicts manage to work while in the program and are not leaches on the society while fighting addiction.
There are much more effective ways to fight drugs.
Doublethink. As an economic conservative I understand the law of supply and demand. If a product is in demand a supply, legal or illegal, will always be found. That was true during Prohibition, it's true in the phony War on Drugs, and it will be true if guns are ever "outlawed."
The only certain way to end the deluge of drugs into the U.S. and the human tragedies they create is for Americans to "kick the habit." But that's hard, and at least since the end of WWII our people have always demanded the "easy way." So we have a totally ineffective War on Drugs and are focused on keeping the cartels under control rather than tackling the essential job of preventing drug addiction in the first place.