Drugs!

Oh Anna Nicole, that respect, in the US, only happened when this was another society. Over 30 years ago. Back then many many municipalities had 'decriminalized' 'soft' drugs like pot and hash. You could possess a half ounce and only get a $5 traffic ticket if apprehended and the cop had nothing better to do. The only similar situation now is in San Francisco with the now simmering controversy over medical marijuana clubs - a kind of back door but none the less enlightened approach by the state. It was Reagan's 'zero tollerance' policies that really set back the social attitudes towards drugs here. But in the early 1970's after everyone had become acquainted with drug use because of the hippies mostly, in a different society altogether than we have here now, the cultural openness and optimism about drugs made America an uncomparably more friendly place. Now, of course, back then there was an increasing 'gangification' and organized crime development in drug trafficking, and even by the late '60's it had a massively deleterious effect on urban neighborhoods. But for a long time a wider segment of society was very openly tollerant of drug use when it was carried on in a social setting. In the high school I went to for instance virtually everyone did drugs. Some of the teachers did more drugs than the students. Even what would have been considered the most conservative student cliques did drugs, the football team for instance, they all tripped their heads off. So accepted and pervasive were drugs that if you did not do drugs you were in the extreme minority. People put signs up in the school hallway about what was available that week, the prices, the amounts for sale, etc. Back then if you were buying smoke, most of the time you were buying it from the person who went south of the border to acquire it - a very small enterprise endeavor.

This society may swing back to more tollerance, like it seems to go through cycles of restriction and openness about other things. But with the current Idiocracy and their lockjaw attitude towards life in general, I don't see any respect for authoritative reports on the relative dangers of drugs getting any credence here soon. Although it has been startling to see some attempts like the somewhat recent ballot vote in the state of Nevada, for legalization of marijuana, drugs will continue to be a very real and pervasive part of this society, virtually accepted by society in general, but by a society not ready to be anything but hypocritcal when it comes to softening the legal penalties. It is one of the lesser spotlighted phenomenons of the self-contradicting irrationalities of US society.

Thanks Seven-
True so true... i think the word irrational is just it. IRRATIONAL

It's all good.

"The only similar situation now is in San Francisco with the now simmering controversy over medical marijuana clubs - a kind of back door but none the less enlightened approach"

As far as Bonnie's concerned it's the only approach to her back door- gotta get high to get wide...

I get high with a little help from my friend.
I get wide with a little help from my friend.

my friend.

Whats that? u ram a small brown bottle up there!?

ha

No Honey, it's popppers.
Poppers an' Judy Garland is the only good things the Gays ever gave the world.
OK...
Poppers, Judy Garland and Jackie Bigalow.

Poppers, Judy Garland, Jackie Bigalow and that DJ, what's his name, Paddy? Daddy? Something like that. But wow is HE wiiiiiiide!