I want to continue from my Dangers of Cannabis post. I believe prohibition is a waste of resources, and does not address the problem. It literally destroys communities, entire countries are fucked over (Mexico?), it does ecological damage (Cannabis for instance requires a lot of water), it causes a greater health risk because sometimes the drugs are low quality. Maybe you can think of other ills associated with the prohibition of illicit substances, you are free to mention them in the comments.

The actual problem is that people need and do drugs to cope with life. The problem is first and foremost in the consumers. The producers, smugglers, and dealers only satisfy demand created by a society hungry for escape, and soothing of the pain. I personally had problems with binge drinking that made me look like the people in the photo accompanying this post. I have smoked cigarettes until 2013, like a pack a day. I used to look like a skeleton, or lich from fairytales. I am surprised I was even getting laid.

My weed contact in London, after his dad died, smoked crack cocaine, and downed his ass with opium or heroin, depending on what he could get hold of. He was an investment banker, who also sold drugs, and stole from shops for the thrill. His mate did the same, only he injected the heroin. I don’t know what became of my weed contact but I heard the latter guy ended up in a rehab, and now he is married with kids. He reinvented himself.

This winter, I locked myself out of the world. I really let myself go. I smoked one joint after another. Like two months ago, I had a full beard from not shaving, and beards don’t look good on me from a recessive Asian gene. I grew a dad bod from the absence of movement. So I created a rule based on the mythological association of cannabis with the Norse goddess of love, Freya, which is equivalent to Venus. I only smoke on Fridays now. I tried to get some more movement before I start work in the castle and garden in April.

My point is that substance abuse can be stopped, or curtailed. It ultimately boils down to personal responsibility. Alcohol is a very dangerous drug but when consumed in moderation, can be enjoyable, or even helpful. And so it is with any other drug. Some substances maybe really bad but people do drugs for the experience, not for substance. Therefore, the availability of alternative will push the bad substances out of market. Drugs would be able to be consumed in a variety of ways, in controlled settings.

Imagine spending New Years Eve in a rave with administered doses of MDMA. It would literally be better than any antidepressant. It would be a night to remember and would set you up for the year ahead. We can take substances in far smarter ways than we do now.