Another Perspective

On Drug Use

A treatise on my history and opinions of an altered state of mind.

It seems like the United States has declared war on everything these days. We've got the War on Teen Pregnancy, the War on Illiteracy, and of course, the War on Drugs. I am part of the Just Say No generation. God bless Nancy Reagan for such a simple solution to such a complicated situation.

I don't know why it hadn't occurred to anyone before: the entire history of temptation all solved by a platitude. Upon hearing the words of our prophet Nancy, I wanted to start applying the wisdom to all areas of my life. I longed to embody the word "No." But, alas, the Demon Weed had already possessed me.

It was revealed to me that I was using a gateway drug, and that soon I would be smoking crack laced with PCP. I knew that soon I would be failing school, robbing my parents, and becoming a male prostitute to support the habit that was wrecking my frail frame and liquefying my addled brain. And then a strange thing happened: nothing. Here I was, my soul stolen, my fate sealed, an unthinking pawn for the losing side of the War on Drugs, and yet I seemed to be an (almost) normal human. I enjoyed myself, I did well in school, and I loaned money to my parents instead of stealing from them. I was even, Heaven forbid, occasionally well adjusted and social. What kind of cruel trick of Satan was being played upon me? How could I pretend that I was a well-functioning member of society when the government was telling me I was a social deviant helping to destroy the moral fabric of society? I can only assume that I was being punished when they put me in the Talented and Gifted program with all the other drug addicts. Yet, somehow, I reveled in it.

Finding myself on the lonely tattered periphery of the moral fabric of society was left to fend for myself. Inaccessible were the comforting platitudes of the moral majority. Denied the solace of blind obedience, I was forced to consider my own standards of morality, consider the consequences of my actions and live accordingly. It was a tough time. They taught me in school about how to Just Say No, but precious little about critical independent thought and the consequences of my actions.

It seems curious to me, as I look back, how the school assemblies had people telling us how evil drugs were, but never anyone who told us how much fun they were. We D.A.R.E.'d to keep kids off drugs, but did we ever D.A.R.E. to let kids try to decide for themselves? I had a nightmare once. In this nightmare (for surely it is a nightmare to the Powers That Be) people were presented with information and arguments from both sides of a debate and were allowed to intelligently choose the path proper for their life. Good thing it was just a dream.

Living in Eugene, you have likely heard all of the arguments behind the legalization of marijuana. Let me offer one reason rarely given: it can be fun. Not as much fun, in my opinion as psychedelics, but still fun for those who enjoy that sort of thing. It would be interesting to try to put together a ballot measure to legalize fun. It seems like fun should be legal, yet I imagine that such a ballot measure would be a legal nightmare. So, instead, we have to go around deciding what should be legal fun and what should be illegal fun. A sad job, to my mind. I've always wondered why various drugs were legal or illegal. I can only guess that it has something to do with constituencies. Most political things do. Perhaps potheads are just too mellow to move legislators and meth freaks are too incomprehensible. I suppose that the legislators simply convinced the people on LSD that laws against the drug were merely hallucinations. The angry drunks and the jazzed smokers, however, had the right kind of drug-induced moods to sway the government. Perhaps if we advertised free munchies at the capitol building on a Friday night we could get enough people to sway the legislature.

I have to agree with the anti-drug crusaders frequently, though. They say that drugs are merely escapism and a way to avoid dealing with reality. I agree. That's why I have used them. I'll let you in on a little secret this is, apparently, only know to us druggies: sometimes reality sucks. Sometimes the world I create inside my mind is more fun than that which is outside my mind. It seems that these people don't ever take vacations from their jobs. They don't seem to understand that it might be pleasant to take a trip to a foreign land on occasion. Ever consider the amusing potential of the back of your hand? Ever take an unexpected left turn at Memphis while contemplating the cobwebs on your ceiling? It's a sad mind which knows only one reality. Consider the experience an exercise in bilingualism of thought.

I don't do drugs much anymore. I don't really have the time. Most drugs take several hours of dedication in order to fully enjoy them. I enjoy my beer and my coffee and that's about it. Some drugs I've never had the desire to try. Meth, Cocaine, Heroin, Nicotine and Quaaludes (among others) hold no fascination for me. Why? Because I know what they are, what they do, how dangerous (or beneficial) they are, and have no compulsion to engage in the cost/benefit ratio involved in their consumption. I have, in the past, engaged in the recreational usage of marijuana, alcohol, psilocybin, LSD, and peyote. Why? Because they had effects I desired with acceptable chances of physical or emotional damage or addiction. In spite of the fact that people can become allergic to food s they previously were fine with, I still eat peanuts even knowing that an allergic reaction can easily cause asphyxiation and death. I understand and acknowledge the benefits and potential harms involved in my actions. That, however, can only come with knowledge which is sorely lacking in the current "Drug War." Take, for instance, MAOI's.

How many of you (illegal drug users or not) know what MAOI's are? MAOI's are a very large class of drugs. They are Monoamine oxidase inhibitors. They include a great many prescription and street drugs. Monoamine oxidase is an enzyme present in the digestive tract with metabolizes tyramine and dopa. If tyramine and dopa are not metabolized, they can cause a hypertensive reaction, where the blood pressure soars to dangerous levels. This causes heart problems ranging from increased heartbeat to stoppage. Products which contain tyramines and dopa include beans, chocolate, coffee, and some forms of alcohol. MAOI's include stimulants like amphetamines and euphoriates like M-drugs (MDMA, or XTX, MDA, nmethyl). No one ever told you not to eat chocolate and Ecstasy? No one told you that mushrooms and alcohol are both antagonistic to the kidneys, so you shouldn't take them together? Real information seems to have no place in the current War on Drugs.

Perhaps it is too much to ask that people be allowed to guide their own destinies. I do worry about folks who have never engaged in purposeful anti-establishment behavior, however. Drug use is not for everyone. There are those with addictive minds and bodies. Each must know his or her own limits. I must laugh at those who consider all drug use to be drug abuse, though. Heaven forbid that I might be capable of understanding my desires and limitations and acting on them.

There are good reasons not to do drugs. There are some good reasons to try some drugs to see if you like them. But the current climate of hostility and misinformation is making rational choice difficult. We need to change our war-like mentality and start understanding that all people and all drugs are not identical and that drug use and drug abuse are not simple issues. Dialogue needs to be opened and information exchanged so that we can bring back personal choice and personal accountability.

Judah is a happy, well-adjusted person who still scored higher than you on the SATs, despite having a hangover