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I still don't think we as a society are allowed to completly ban any drugs. A society might be allowed to have safety mechanism in place but otherwise nothing

I still don't think we as a society are allowed to completly ban any drugs. A society might be allowed to have safety mechanism in place but otherwise nothing else.

Etheryte 3y ago
While I see where you're coming from, how do you address the healthcare gap? I agree with personal freedom of choice and choosing your own risk tolerance, but as a society we collectively pay for the healthcare costs of those who fall through the cracks and go too far. This problem isn't unique to drugs in any way, we face the same problem with e.g. excessive alcohol use, and there the problem is also largely unsolved.
- Delokoloololo 3y ago
  It isn't fair to begin with. A athletic person gets health care, a fat person gets health care. In worst case we just triage. But this would definitely be something the society would be allowed to regulate: The society can say 'you can take any drug you want but if you take x you become second in line' That would be transparent and fair but we don't even have this type of discussion. And while I get Ritalin from my doctor the other one is with one leg in prison for either speed or crystal. At the end of the day keeping this hidden is more of a problem than not. Educating people is critical but no one feels educated by police.
  - rootusrootus 3y ago
    > A athletic person gets health care, a fat person gets health care. And the fat person may well have a lower lifetime total healthcare cost.
    - Delokoloololo 3y ago
      I was actually not trying to evaluate this. When I meant athletic person I actually thought about injuries.
- ulrikrasmussen 3y ago
  The thing is, there are many things that have a statistically similar or worse risk profile than many (not all, especially not highly addictive) drugs. Many contact sports, even wildly popular ones such as football and soccer, are associated with an increased risk of dementia. Horseback riding is also quite risky compared to the use of drugs. And then there are also all the extreme sports which are also not outlawed. We could as a society outlaw anything and everything that would statistically burden our healthcare system, but in the end we would be living in a fairly boring world.
- sjkoelle 3y ago
  https://nyulangone.org/news/psychedelic-drug-therapy-may-help-treat-alcohol-addiction https://nyulangone.org/news/psychedelic-drug-therapy-may-hel...
- smallkitten 3y ago
  I just wanted to say how disgusting your comment feels. At a forum of people who are mostly software engineers and embrace the sedentary lifestyle, to talk about a "healthcare gap" WRT drugs is ludicrous. Sitting for 8+ hours a day will injure your health more than a cocaine addiction would. Source: Have experience with both. Anecdotal, etc. all the disclaimers apply (obligatory disclaimer for the half-smart bros)

I still don't think we as a society are allowed to completly ban any drugs. A society might be allowed to have safety mechanism in place but otherwise nothing else.

Etheryte 3y ago

While I see where you're coming from, how do you address the healthcare gap? I agree with personal freedom of choice and choosing your own risk tolerance, but as a society we collectively pay for the healthcare costs of those who fall through the cracks and go too far. This problem isn't unique to drugs in any way, we face the same problem with e.g. excessive alcohol use, and there the problem is also largely unsolved.

Delokoloololo 3y ago
It isn't fair to begin with. A athletic person gets health care, a fat person gets health care. In worst case we just triage. But this would definitely be something the society would be allowed to regulate: The society can say 'you can take any drug you want but if you take x you become second in line' That would be transparent and fair but we don't even have this type of discussion. And while I get Ritalin from my doctor the other one is with one leg in prison for either speed or crystal. At the end of the day keeping this hidden is more of a problem than not. Educating people is critical but no one feels educated by police.
- rootusrootus 3y ago
  > A athletic person gets health care, a fat person gets health care. And the fat person may well have a lower lifetime total healthcare cost.
  - Delokoloololo 3y ago
    I was actually not trying to evaluate this. When I meant athletic person I actually thought about injuries.
ulrikrasmussen 3y ago
The thing is, there are many things that have a statistically similar or worse risk profile than many (not all, especially not highly addictive) drugs. Many contact sports, even wildly popular ones such as football and soccer, are associated with an increased risk of dementia. Horseback riding is also quite risky compared to the use of drugs. And then there are also all the extreme sports which are also not outlawed. We could as a society outlaw anything and everything that would statistically burden our healthcare system, but in the end we would be living in a fairly boring world.
sjkoelle 3y ago
https://nyulangone.org/news/psychedelic-drug-therapy-may-help-treat-alcohol-addiction https://nyulangone.org/news/psychedelic-drug-therapy-may-hel...
smallkitten 3y ago
I just wanted to say how disgusting your comment feels. At a forum of people who are mostly software engineers and embrace the sedentary lifestyle, to talk about a "healthcare gap" WRT drugs is ludicrous. Sitting for 8+ hours a day will injure your health more than a cocaine addiction would. Source: Have experience with both. Anecdotal, etc. all the disclaimers apply (obligatory disclaimer for the half-smart bros)