4 ms·

I believe in the future people will look at sugar and alcohol the same way we look at hard drugs today.

kyriakos 6y ago
..or medicine will be able to fix any issues caused by them making them ok to abuse maybe i'm just an optimist
watwut 6y ago
Like, incarcerating people for long years, making them unemployable after release and destroying families of people involved in it? I really hope not. I mean, i am fine with heroin being illegal. But I don't think the way it is done should be done more and more.
- webmaven 6y ago
  This whole subthread reminded me of a science fiction story I read several decades ago (late 80s or early 90s, I think) about an agent in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Chocolate. The story centered on an undercover ATFC agent who grew up in Hershey, PA (which gave him some sort of underworld cred) and had infiltrated the Swiss Cartels. As I recall there were some flashbacks about a chocoholic family member or lover that had died which was what set him on a path of self-righteous vengeance, and a raid featuring a showdown with a literally sticky-fingered bad guy. There may have also been a Bond-style femmes-fatale who managed to escape that was a scion of some chocolatier family (Mars, perhaps?). It's possible I'm confabulating some of these details. I've tried to track down this story a few times without success, but it pops back into mind every time I see some mention of the idea of criminalizing sugar vs. decriminalizing other substances, so I thought I'd mention it on the off chance someone here recognizes it.
chrisjarvis 6y ago
lol from my experience reading comments here most of HN thinks all drugs should be legal!
- stickfigure 6y ago
  It's consistent to believe that some foods/drugs are bad for your health, yet should still be legal.
- floatingatoll 6y ago
  Accompanied with drug treatment provided to all, yes, that's a very popular view here. What drug treatment is available for sugar addiction to people who are self-harming and don't know how to stop? If classifying it as a drug solved that problem by feeding all human beings healthier foods, so that they can get their caloric intake without industry-cheap sugars, I would absolutely be on board with that :)
- calibas 6y ago
  The modern approach is decriminalize small amounts, and treat addiction as a disease instead of a crime. The results speak for themselves. Very few people believe "all drugs should be legal", that's a complete misrepresentation.
  - bondarchuk 6y ago
    Okay, well add me to the list of people who believe all drugs should be legal though.
rantwasp 6y ago
more like the way we look at the smoking. also, in line with your observation I think sugar should be a schedule I drug

..or medicine will be able to fix any issues caused by them making them ok to abuse maybe i'm just an optimist

Like, incarcerating people for long years, making them unemployable after release and destroying families of people involved in it? I really hope not. I mean, i am fine with heroin being illegal. But I don't think the way it is done should be done more and more.

webmaven 6y ago
This whole subthread reminded me of a science fiction story I read several decades ago (late 80s or early 90s, I think) about an agent in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Chocolate. The story centered on an undercover ATFC agent who grew up in Hershey, PA (which gave him some sort of underworld cred) and had infiltrated the Swiss Cartels. As I recall there were some flashbacks about a chocoholic family member or lover that had died which was what set him on a path of self-righteous vengeance, and a raid featuring a showdown with a literally sticky-fingered bad guy. There may have also been a Bond-style femmes-fatale who managed to escape that was a scion of some chocolatier family (Mars, perhaps?). It's possible I'm confabulating some of these details. I've tried to track down this story a few times without success, but it pops back into mind every time I see some mention of the idea of criminalizing sugar vs. decriminalizing other substances, so I thought I'd mention it on the off chance someone here recognizes it.

chrisjarvis 6y ago

lol from my experience reading comments here most of HN thinks all drugs should be legal!

stickfigure 6y ago
It's consistent to believe that some foods/drugs are bad for your health, yet should still be legal.
floatingatoll 6y ago
Accompanied with drug treatment provided to all, yes, that's a very popular view here. What drug treatment is available for sugar addiction to people who are self-harming and don't know how to stop? If classifying it as a drug solved that problem by feeding all human beings healthier foods, so that they can get their caloric intake without industry-cheap sugars, I would absolutely be on board with that :)
calibas 6y ago
The modern approach is decriminalize small amounts, and treat addiction as a disease instead of a crime. The results speak for themselves. Very few people believe "all drugs should be legal", that's a complete misrepresentation.
- bondarchuk 6y ago
  Okay, well add me to the list of people who believe all drugs should be legal though.

rantwasp 6y ago

more like the way we look at the smoking. also, in line with your observation I think sugar should be a schedule I drug