Hello everyone!
My topic relates to Leo's blog post from 10th April ( https://www.actualized.org/insights/drug-decriminalization-gone-wrong )
I disagree with Leo's opinion that he states in this post - and I am interested in your opinion, guys. This post mostly focuses on weed / softer drugs.
Right now I am writing from Germany, and - maybe you've heard - weed is (partially) decriminalized / legalized in my country since April 2024. This is a huge accomplishment in drug policy since repression didn't work at all. And many of us fought for years.
Let me state from the beginning that I fully recognize the harmful effects of cannabis - one can get addicted, it can cripple your motivation and aspirations, it can be harmful to your physical and mental health, consumption isn't cheap, possibility of psychosis etc. (as with alcohol by the way) BUT ...
Here are my arguments for the legalization of soft drugs:
1) Repression / prohibition didn't work with alcohol, it's the same with weed and other softer drugs.
2) I know the statistics for Germany: Even though weed was prohibited for ... at least 80 years, the consumption increased, especially over the last few years. Of course, the consumption won't decrease with legalization, but at least people have access to a clean product without toxic chemicals and other things that make the dealer make more money (fertilizer sprayed on the buds, led, glass, sand, glue ...).
3) Of course we all should strive for a clean and conscious life, but that's simply not the reality for most ("common") people. They smoke, they drink, they consume weed. Recreational use of substances is neither healthy nor desirable. But our brains are wired that way. Homo sapiens sapiens likes dopamine and endocannabinoids. Some people don't find any other outlet from their stressful working day. At least the bodily effects of weed are way less harmful than the effects of alcohol or tobacco (see David Nutt's study from 2010, comparing the harm potentials of many legal and illegal drugs). And, at least in my opinion, the borders between recreational and spiritual consumption are blurry.
4) We all have a vague understanding of the genesis of addiction - and I can recall several of Leo's videos in which he himself explains it quite well. People get addicted because of problems, because of life circumstances such as unemployment, societal situations, boredom, grief, other negative emotions ... Just because cannabis (or even other and harder drugs) are prohibited doesn't mean that people won't get addicted. Addicts need social workers, psychotherapists, and most importantly love (from friends, family, from themselves) ... It's not the drug's fault. We should encourage a mature consumption of substances.
I get that Americans - especially with the opiod situation going on there right now (and it is spreading all over the world) - are very ambivalent when it comes to the political discussion surrounding drugs. But I think it is very dangerous to regress back to conservative positions. Maybe we have to find other solutions for harder drugs such as cocaine and opioids. But even with these substances, I don't think that repression and criminalization is the right way to go.
What do you think?
Greetings from Germany!
