"The net worth of the 225* richest people in the world now equals the combined income of the poorest 2.6 billion, who comprise 47 percent of the world's population." (UNDP's 1998 Human Development Report) (* billionaires)
The Marijuana Debate: GreenViews(NZ) list, & North & South
> ... the problems associated with dope smoking are suffered by >a few significant groups - the young, the mentally ill and so on. > We have to find a way in which to decriminalise use by the vast >majority (who are using it now anyway) but who don't become addicted ...David MacClement writes:
** I have two short points:
(1) there have always been recreational drugs, since before homo sapiens; I don't see that the law should have much to do with it.
(2) In the last 10-25 years, youth have had much less to look forward to than almost all previous generations; I think "the drugs problem (mainly alcohol and tobacco)" is only a symptom of a far deeper malaise. With our young people having 'nowhere to go and not a lot to do', I'm very sympathetic to them. We ourselves have three right in the muck and fog of the problem. With the focus for so many recent generations being on getting a paying job, but with such a big fraction of the relatively few jobs available now being of so little long-term interest, they're right to turn them down, IMO. Getting money is /not/ the focus of anyone's life. We're people, not economic ciphers.
David.
Date: Sun, 4 Jun 2000 Subject: [GV]Marijuana DebateHi greens,
Murray Ogilvie [MO] wrote:
> I speculate that there is a genetic element to addiction propensity. > If genetic screening could identify those at risk, you could be educated > about the threats that face you specifically.I would add the theory that drugs are a convenient excuse for all sorts of shortcomings in our society. When we argue that drugs e.g. alcohol, nicotine, dope etc. "blow" young peoples brains out* we assume they had some in the first place.
People are not educated when they are born - they learn - more when young and less when adult.
Unless we properly educate our young, there is indeed nothing there to be "blown out".
As long as working for a couple of bucks in a supermarket or Junk
Mail delivery is more important than education we indeed need all
these evils we can blame for our shortcomings....
Another example is the assumption that surfing the internet and
showing off with a couple of computers in schools have much to do
with education when at the same time unqualified staff is employed
for teaching.
Education includes not only knowledge but just as important is the
ability to observe, reason, be critical and draw conclusions. That's
what only good teachers can teach (if they have these abilities
themselves).
As long as we are a people of "slogan repeaters" we will not take
part in the "knowledge industry" that's for sure.
If our young spend their time with stupid work, play computer games
and don't learn the basics in school there is no reason to be worried
about any harm any drug could do to their "brains".
> >(MO) > In my view we should (as a society) be able to embrace those who > >suffer the "illness" of drug addiction.I do not doubt that people can be addicted to drugs but I suspect that in most cases this is just a convenient excuse. Why not admit that we like drugs???
I don't need the excuse to be addicted to enjoy a couple of beers or coffee etc.
The whole marijuana discussion might come down to the point of whether we non-
users have a right to force the people who like it to give it up.
In my opinion that's unfair and as long as there is no harm to others
people should have the freedom of choice.
There are plenty of other activities which are tolerated but have a
negative impact on other people:
Spray-drift, burning all sorts of rubbish and polluting other
people's air & property, noisy lawn-mowers, polluting cars, hidden
dangerous chemicals in food, business people ripping off the weak,
wasting public money, exploiting workers, exploiting children etc.
but we seem unwilling to do anything about it.
All the above activities (the order is not meant to rate the level of negativity) are tolerated or seen as "smart" in kiwiland but we would not refrain from punishing a group of people having the habit of taking drugs.
have fun
sigi
Sigi & Silvia, Nelson, New Zealand
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