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Alcohol is the fourth largest cause of preventable deaths in the U.S. each year. Given that it's chemically addicting and steeped in cultural history, I'm all
by bduerst 10y ago
Alcohol is the fourth largest cause of preventable deaths in the U.S. each year.
Given that it's chemically addicting and steeped in cultural history, I'm all for the Pandora's box approach of scratching it off as a loss and leaving it.
We don't need more dangerous, chemically-addictive substances mass introduced to the public. At some point the priority of an individual's freedom to abuse substances and harm their selves is outweighed the lives they take from those around them in society at large.
And no, Marijuana and MDMA are not chemically addictive.
- logfromblammo 10y agoI wonder how alcohol ranks as a cause of preventable pregnancies. Does that count as an offset against its death rate? If you toss alcohol, you will need to substitute some other mode of social interaction with fewer or less dangerous chemicals that will get folks out of the house and meeting new people. There are many, many people out there today who never would have existed if at least one of their ancestors had never become drunk on ethanol. You can't just chuck it without first supplanting it from all the niches it may currently fill.
- bduerst 10y agoSounds like a good use case for AR apps like Pokemon Go. I just heard testimony this morning from an 18 year old who made five new friends this weekend at a local park because they were all out hunting. Bars used to be a primary social scene, but that's changed drastically in the last decade and doesn't mean they need to preserved.