Drugs

[chrisp65]

Thursday evening I had my last coffee. So no coffee, cola, fizzy drinks of any kind or chocolate for coming up to 60 hours.

Slightly buzzy head this time yesterday, but other than that, nothing. Slightly buzzy head, in context, I do not get any grade of headache from one year to the next.

It was an experiment to see if I was getting reliant on fizz or caffeine. I'd say it's gone ok.

Probably go back on the coffee tomorrow.

 

[wazzap24]

2 hours ago, Xann said:

Telegraph

About **** time, but needs to be official. 

The sooner a government grows a pair and legalises it, the better. 

The fact it's a class B drug is ludicrous in the extreme. 

 

 

 

[Davkaus]

I for one am glad that the police are beginning to see sense, and are turning a blind eye to harmless recreational drug use, so that they can focus on the real criminals; people who say mean things on Twitter.

[wazzap24]

@Davkaus

[Xann]

 

[Daweii]

On 8/21/2016 at 17:20, wazzap24 said:

About **** time, but needs to be official. 

The sooner a government grows a pair and legalises it, the better. 

The fact it's a class B drug is ludicrous in the extreme. 

 

 

 

I find most of the drugs in class B to be pretty stupid to be fair.. I mean Amphetamines, Codeine and Cannabis are just not bad drugs in the grand scheme of things.

Cannabis has to be the most stupid though considering everything is more harmful than it.. More people have died in the last 30 years to vending machine related accidents than Cannabis yet Cannabis is the illegal one?

My idea of an ideal world is one where people can do whatever they want as long as it's not harming others. If that means they would rather live life crashed out on a sofa on legal Heroin, hopped up on Amphetamines or mellow as **** on Cannabis I don't care. It's on them if they stop being productive members of society. 

[chrisp65]

6 hours ago, Daweii said:

My idea of an ideal world is one where people can do whatever they want as long as it's not harming others. If that means they would rather live life crashed out on a sofa on legal Heroin, hopped up on Amphetamines or mellow as **** on Cannabis I don't care. It's on them if they stop being productive members of society. 

Would I be allowed not to pay their benefits?

Or do I have to stay straight to earn the cash to allow them to stop being productive? 

I'm more than happy for people to drop out. As long as they do actually drop out. Not just, you know, want looking after and having their housing and health arse wiped. So to speak.

[Genie]

25 minutes ago, chrisp65 said:

Would I be allowed not to pay their benefits?

Or do I have to stay straight to earn the cash to allow them to stop being productive?

I'm more than happy for people to drop out. As long as they do actually drop out. Not just, you know, want looking after and having their housing and health arse wiped. So to speak.

This is a good point and valid in many scenario's for people with the "why should I" attitude. They still want the rent paid and a bit of pocket money, and free health care etc.

Even the anti democracy brigade sign on and claim what they're "entitled" to.

[Daweii]

15 minutes ago, chrisp65 said:

Would I be allowed not to pay their benefits?

Or do I have to stay straight to earn the cash to allow them to stop being productive? 

I'm more than happy for people to drop out. As long as they do actually drop out. Not just, you know, want looking after and having their housing and health arse wiped. So to speak.

Oh I am with you on that.

There are lots of flaws to my ideal world which is why it would never happen, but yes in this ideal world you'd either be able to opt out of paying for their benefits or they would be subject to random drug tests.

I just like the thought of people being able to do as they please with their lives, but I also understand that it's not realistic which is why I don't run the country.

[maqroll]

One of the cooks at work had a heroin overdose during his shift. He stopped breathing and was turning blue when medics shot him up with narcon. back at work tonight like nothing happened. The boss is not happy though...we'll see how it plays out. The guy was literally less than 5 minutes from dying. 

[maqroll]

Legal recreational cannabis is on the ballot in November in Maine. I think it'll pass.

[Rugeley Villa]

I know a couple of people who got properly screwed up because of cannabis, but as a whole it's a pretty safe drug. I could never be a stoner though.

[HanoiVillan]

2 hours ago, chrisp65 said:

Would I be allowed not to pay their benefits?

Or do I have to stay straight to earn the cash to allow them to stop being productive? 

I'm more than happy for people to drop out. As long as they do actually drop out. Not just, you know, want looking after and having their housing and health arse wiped. So to speak.

I've tried to understand this post, really I have, but I don't get it.

What extra control are you asking for that you don't have for 'alcohol users' or 'nicotine users'? You currently have no control over whether benefit recipients spend any money on alcohol or cigarettes. Are you asking for a US-style food stamp system? I guess you could make an argument for it, though it's way to the right of even Conservative party policy on the issue.

EDIT: Also worth adding that you are currently 'wiping the health arse' of drinkers, smokers and illegal drug users, as well as boy racers, rugby players and people who think swimming in quarries is a good idea. You're going to continue paying for them no matter what, so I remain confused as to what your point is.

Edited September 16, 2016 by HanoiVillan

[blandy]

36 minutes ago, HanoiVillan said:

I've tried to understand this post, really I have, but I don't get it.

I guess the question is (for the sake of discussion) if in the proposed hypothetical ideal world people were quite free to decide to cease making any contribution to society, instead choosing to sit on the sofa eating meals of free range Moroccan leaves and Columbian Marching powder, in that pretend ideal world would other people be obliged to support them in maintaining that "lifestyle" choice.

In other words, in the imaginary Eutopia should there not be some kind of obligation on people to involve themselves in society rather than just drop out and depend entirely on others to support them. That there's perhaps a degree of personal responsibility people should take to take care of themselves. And if they don't make that effort in this imaginary Eutopia, then why should anyone else? 

In the real world of the UK, there are people who choose to drop out of society and they look after themselves living in yurts or wherever and doing fine. Good for them. There are others who choose to drop out who do absolutely eff all but sponge, rob and blag. Stuff them. And there are people with illnesses and addictions. Help them.

 

[HanoiVillan]

Okay, that's fair, I am missing the 'imaginary world' context. I guess I don't see the point. There's a real debate, right now, in the UK, about decriminalising or legalising cannabis use and it seems a lot more interesting to talk about that.

However, maybe I should read more carefully.

[blandy]

10 minutes ago, HanoiVillan said:

Okay, that's fair, I am missing the 'imaginary world' context. I guess I don't see the point. There's a real debate, right now, in the UK, about decriminalising or legalising cannabis use and it seems a lot more interesting to talk about that.

However, maybe I should read more carefully.

It's only my interpretation, which might be quite wrong. There is, in a way the same question relating in the real world to people who drop out through choice to eat sofa based legal and/or illegal meals of Gin and Heroin sausages with a nice cup of LSD Cola (other choices are available).

As for legalising bifters....whatever, I'm going to the 24 hour garage for some chocolate.

[Xann]

 

[Midfielder]

I haven't contributed to this thread at all previously but as it has popped up at the top of Off Topic then i'll give my account. I'll probably get ripped apart for my opinion, but I will say it. I say the following respectfully and non-judgementally. I do agree in some ways that certain drugs are relatively harmless but for recreational use, repeatedly they become a problem. Short term becomes medium then long term use. Long term use absolutely leads to medical issues. I don't just mean risk of lung cancer from weed smoking, nothing that obvious... i mean particularly with behavioural impacts and almost a modified hardwiring of the mind and it's reward system.

This hardwiring affects choices, appropriate prioritisation... can adversely have life impacts upon relationships, family ties, work commitment, aspiration...

That is my opinion. I can offer the above as a generalisation. I realise it wont be the case for some but for most, there comes a time when people think enough is enough. Despite how good it is, or how used to it you are. What experience gives me that insight? I am 38 and for exactly half of my life up until the turn of this year I had been a hard user of substances (but never heroin). It started with weed, (remained throughout with weed) but on and off in accompaniment moved in various directions such as acid, mushrooms, speed, coke. A lot of illegal, but also legal controlled substances which I had access to in crazy abundance without any scrutiny such as Ritalin, valium, diazepam. 

I have some truly great memories. My entire life from my 1st day at Uni has been pure Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. I had always dated partners who were ok with it, whether they consumed or not, but led this double life lie of a white collar profession during the day (performed in a whiter than white way) and Hunter S Thompson shite outside of work. Things began to slip and I got found out. In the work I do, I was lucky not to be gross misconducted but many months on, I am still rebuilding the career I studied many years for (that damn near evaporated) and my professional reputation.

Paradoxically I work in the healthcare profession and eventually my double life became unsustainable. I haven't posted this to be critical to anyone on here. White collar drug use is massive, yet hidden. I know of people, absolutely senior, who range in age who are so far disconnected from drug culture or reacreational use, yet have their own as they call them 'go pills' and 'no go pills' and perform immaculately in their work. I have die-hard mates that still live my old life and I don't preach to them, I respect their choices. That's what they are choices. The point of my post is to reflect my change of choice and to say for me, even though everyone is different, for me life is better with abstinence. That clarity comes from being detoxed of all substances, I mean weed alone is 1-3 months depending on the tenure of your usage. The rest is down to temptation control, willpower insistence. Then the hardwiring comes back and the choice is easy to the point it doesn't even present as an option. That's a lot of fast-forwarding there but this post is getting way too long.

I'm not some preaching Christian nor have I been in some rehab course. I just learned some life lessons. Hopefully you all steer clear of that.

Smoke a fat one for me though.

[Ryan.]

Drugs promise you heaven, but take you to hell.

I hope for my family's sake I resist the urge to go back (to cocaine) because it would be a one way train to destruction. 

I've had one particular experience that should hopefully put me off for good to the point I was praying to a god i don't believe in the next day.

I'm far too ashamed to share, sorry for being so vague, but it's quite recent and I've told no one. This is just me getting a tiny bit of it off my shoulders, because believe me, It hurts. 

Edit: to be clear I've not robbed anyone or done anything to hurt anyone intentionally.

Edited October 8, 2016 by Ryan.

[maqroll]

Be careful out there, folks.