[davedes]

Hey folks, I'm new to the forums. If there's anything I'm doing wrong, please give me a holler.

My main question is:
Would you be for or against an education program that promotes responsible use of drugs? Why or why not?

This would be similar to comprehensive sex education in that it does not directly promote use, but rather promotes responsible/safe use (if it's even necessary).

As "mind-altering drug" is a rather broad term, the program would mainly target the more common student-used drugs, such as marijuana, alcohol, tobacco, magic mushrooms, acid, ecstasy, etc. It would also make clearer distinctions between the so-called "hard" and "soft" drugs, making sure to clarify the potential risks involved in both fields. Most importantly, it would be accurate and honest about findings.

Personally, I fully support comprehensive drug education and responsible drug use. (On a related note, I also support its decriminalization/legalization.) I feel that there are many who can benefit greatly from the social, recreational, spiritual, educational and medical uses of these drugs. I also feel that when responsible use is stressed and well taught, problems such as addiction, overdose, bad trips, etc can be greatly reduced.


Here's my story, which got me started on the topic in the first place.

I'm an 18 year old Canadian male, soon to be studying arts at university. As a casual smoker of marijuana and hashish, I have no history of serious mental or physical illness. I don't smoke cigarettes or cigars, although I do smoke hookah on occasion. I use alcohol regularly. I've never tried stronger psychedelics, such as LSD or psilocybin, but I plan to try them responsibly in the near future.

A couple years ago I was under the impression that all "drugs" were bad and using them would send you into a life of addiction, insanity, isolation, depression, etc. The very brief drug education that I did receive (grade 9) only seemed to reinforce such a notion, with concepts such as psychosis, lung cancer and rehabilitation being applied to no drug in particular. I came out of the course not truly understanding what a drug was, much less understanding that legal commodities such as alcohol and caffeine could also be considered "drugs." All I knew was that drugs were bad, and not to be used. (Of course, as with many teenagers, I eventually began using these drugs in my senior years.)

In short, I've since reconsidered my outlook on drugs, and I do my own research from now on. Many of my classmates, unfortunately, do not. Many of them seem to take their drug education classes to heart. I rarely hear my classmates compare alcohol to drugs, let alone consider them one in the same. A lot of them seem ignorant to the dangers involved with certain drugs, and many problems that could otherwise be prevented seem to arise from irresponsible use and/or "unpreparedness."