You should never do drugs… its bad not good. They have evil substances
Well now that depends on what you consider drugs. I agree with you mainly, but I occasionally drink coffee, so if I agreed with you totally then I’d be a hipocrit (sp.) and that’d be … not so good.
I can understand why someone would take drugs, however. It’s just an extreme of what we all do regularilly: escape from real life. What are you doing when you read a book? Play a computer game? Daydream of Jennifer Lopez in her green dress? Daydream of Jennifer Lopez in that thong she wears in “Love don’t cost a thing”? Daydream of Jennifer Lopez in her…(ahem), yes well you get my point.
Taking drugs is just an extreme of doing the same thing, and with the extreme pro (the really nice high), comes the extreme con (really really messin yourself up).
That’s my thought.
To quote Mr. Magius: “What’s your take?”
Hmmm…now that is an absolute statement in a subject that is full of realative views!
What do you consider a drug?
Do consider something a drug only because it may not be legal??
Do you consider something a drug only because it may be taken recreationally?
There are many things that are used for treatment of illnesses that also happen to have “fun” effects.
Is nicotine in this category? Alchohol? Yes…they may be bad for you…but does that mean it is wrong to use them in a recreational sense while hanging out with friends trying to realx?
What differentiates marijuana from cigs? Or alchohol?
Alchohol is many, many more times toxic than marijuana. Yet do you say it is bad only because the government of OUR nation says so?
What about “magic mushrooms?” A completely natural fungus that looks like something you place on a salad…but also happens to open your mind like never before and look inside. Hmmm.
Seems that “drugs” that are chemically synthesised would be considered “bad” while things that grow natually on the planet would be considered “ok” as long as they are no t killing you.
Chemical “drugs” include alchohol, heroin, morphine, cocaine, zanax, robitussin etc… and ANY other “drug” you may pick up at the pharmacy.
Natural “drugs” include tobacco, marijuana, coca plant, opium, magic mushrooms, peyote and any other HERBS you might pick up at a health food store.
You cannot judge whether an object in itself is bad based soley on it’s effects. You can only look at the individual users and determine if they have applied it in a bad way.
Look at how many people die because of drunk drivers. You’d think alchohol would be illegal like marijuana. Yet with marijuana you CANNOT overdose, no long term effects, and has not been shown to impair driving ability unless very LARGE quantities have been consumed!
Open your mind, don’t buy the crap that is fed you on TV or the propaganda delivered by beureaucrats who care for nothing more than increasing their budgets every year to feel more important about themselves.
Unfortunately, the minority of marijuana users out there do suffer from long term effects, including memory loss and more seriously in some cases the on-set of szchizophrenic impairment depending on their disposition and how much they take.
A little more research simply demonstrates that marijuana isn’t for everyone, at least not like Muddy Waters and Bob Marley said it was. That doesn’t mean it comes from the devil, it doesn’t. I just would rather do it while on mushrooms (can you tell me what makes it so much better that way)?
Anyway, here’s to magic mushrooms. 
every single thing that alters the way your body acts is a ‘drug’ of sorts. water, air and food all affect the chemical balance of our brains/bodies, yet nobody would ever suggest that these were harmful. as for manmade substances - how about antibiotics and other life saving medicines. these are all drugs.
basically, i think that we should all go out and start crack habits.
I believe that inherent evil is a false presumption. Nothing is evil simply by it’s existence. The source of all evil, in my estimation, can be found in the human mind, and that is a learned behavior, not an inherent trait. Illegal drugs are certainly something that seem to be surrounded by evil, but in and of themselves, are just substances lying around, until a human being enters the picture.
Interesting to see how all the pro-drug posts have given excellent arguments in favour of legalisation whereas you just use the tag “evil”, which has no place unqualified in a philosophy forum. I suggest you check those out. Personally I think the world would be a much better place if more people got high, but that’s just opinion.
I agree with Chris drugs are “evil substances” but only the ones declared illegal by society. Society is not stupid, it knows what is bad.
Society knows what is bad? What about the rise to power of Hitler and Stalin? What about the christian far right in America today? Society doesn’t have a fucking clue what is bad, face it.
That is the most stupid argument I have ever heard.
What about the fact that it is a felony to catch the wrong kind of crab in Maine??
What about the NUMEROUS laws against oral sex???
Are you to tell me that I cannot have oral sex with my wife because it is illegal??? I guess that makes it an “evil” act also.
Get a brain of your own and stop letting others think for you.
Let’s also add that in all my experiences with drugs, the one which has made me most ill, caused the most embarassing memories, caused me the most physical injuries and so on is… alcohol. Which is legal.
Disgressing here, but wasn’t that law overturned the other day?
And yeah, it is inane how alcohol is legal and it can such negative effects while cannabis is illegal and it can postitive effects.
The society knows it, but like in other threads, the majority of the society was depicted as “sheep”, so no wonder why so many people take drugs.
As for me, I am not against drugs. Everyone has make this decission on his own 
i have to agree with all of you who believe that drugs shouldn’t be banned because they simply aren’t good – i would not criminalize drugs if it were up to me.
but that wasn’t the topic of this thread. i personally choose to eat only organic food, i do not smoke, drink, have caffine or use things like asprin/tylonel/etc… because they put me in a state different from what i would otherwise be in by introducing artifical chemicals to my body. the difference between this and falling in love, say, is that when i’m falling in love i’m using what’s already in my body to achieve a higher state of happiness.
Louise wrote:
the difference with water and air is that our bodies are designed for these things and dependent for their survival. i don’t need crack to live – i do need air. harm is caused when we take something that is not suited for our bodies, like crack, and it is our bodies’ reactions that produce the high. even caffine inflicts harm and so does polluted air (i live in a city, so there’s a lot). thus, my body does take in some second-hand artifical ‘drugs’ but this hardly justifies going out and using herion. rather, it provides another arguement not to indulge.
What are the possible arguements for the fact that drugs are good?
Everyone should do mushrooms once in there life.
Yes I absolutely agree…
Take some advice, do NOT die without eating some mushrooms. It is simply beautiful.
I’ll pass on mushrooms, I find the idea of it disgusting.
In response to Trix, I would not say that it is the chemicals in us that cause the reaction but a matter of two things mixing like in chemistry class. Do not assume that just because we are such “superior” things in comparison to any other thing we come into contact with, that its not simply a matter of two “stupid” chemicals battling for supremacy in a confined space. Thats really what crack does. It fights a battle a winning battle with our chemicals and opens the door for what I would call the “chaos factor”.
I think that’s everyone’s private decission if to take shrooms or not. I don’t think it’s necessary to take them, even if once. I think life can be nice without drugs, say, mushrooms. I know some people who have made some negative expiriences with mushroom, though. And if you decide to take them, make sure you feel relaxed and happy before consuming them.
The sequences can be more unpleasant than you expect!
Good question. Would you try them if you saw a reason to? Personally, I experiment occasionally with different psychedelics b/c it allows me to better understand myself. I’m not into social drug use but psychedelics truly are a way of exploring my mind. I know it sounds really hippy-ish but I have really learned alot about my insecurities, personal struggles, philosophical perspectives, and even a little about sensory perception. Our brains and sensory organs are built to percieve the world in a certain way, but while on psychedelics or dissociatives, I am able to attain a perspective outside my normal perception. It is amazingly interesting sometimes, even scary at times, b/c it makes you realize that your entire world it is not as stable as you thought it was. Your world is based on your sensory perception of it. How strange it is to see reality differently for a change. It makes you wonder what it might be like to see the world from a dog’s eye view, or a salamander, or even a bat’s sonic perspective. It basically a different way of exploring and understanding your reality. Read some of Timothy Leary’s writing on the subject; you may change your mind, and in turn change your mind.
BTW, most psychadelics are not physically dangerous or even effectually significant, although an unstable individual can have a hard time coping with a trip mentally.
Oh yeah, it’s also a great way to understand what psychotics and delusionals are going through! 