The theme here: Everyone has a reason that makes a lot of sense in the context of their life experience for the positions that they hold about these issues. I suggest we widen our hearts to recognize this fact. And that it’s possible to come to terms with our experience in the context of our lives in such a way we no longer feel the need to try to force others to our point of view because we come to recognize there are many legitimate points of view.
For over forty years, America's "War on Drugs" has accounted for 45 million arrests, made America the world's largest jailer, and damaged poor communities at home and abroad. Yet for all that, drugs in America are cheaper, purer, and more available today than ever before. Filmed in more than twenty U.S. states, THE HOUSE I LIVE IN captures heart-wrenching stories at all levels of America's drug war - from the dealer to the grieving mother, the narcotics officer to the senator, the inmate to the federal judge. Together, these stories pose urgent questions: What caused the war? What perpetuates it? And what can be done to stop it? … [click on title for the rest of the post]
by PAUL WOODWARD Yes, the medicating of combat troops has been done in such a way that it constitutes a form of drug abuse. A year ago the Army Surgeon General warned that medications being widely used to treat PTSD risk making the condition worse. And the dramatic rise in suicides has been widely linked to the effects of suicide-triggering medications. But there is a gaping whole in Friedman’s commentary: no recognition that the misprescribing of psychiatric drugs by military doctors does not so much contrast with the practice of civilian doctors — it is merely an amplification of already excessive use in the wider population. … [click on title to read the rest]
Legal or illegal isn't the point. Americans are avoiding themselves rampantly any way they can. I've often said that (psychoactive) drugs are drugs are drugs. Some are more socially acceptable than others but their use and abuse is always similar. They may indeed be quite useful and necessary on occasion but when one starts using them daily and long-term things start getting complicated.
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