America's Love-Hate Relationship with Drugs

[flashl]

Many prescription drugs have effects similar to those of illegal drugs. But we still view some users as criminals -- the others as patients.

While Americans are inundated with coverage of the Democrats' quibbling over Barack Obama's use of marijuana and cocaine as a teenager, a truly important drug story continues to be neglected: The hypocrisy of Big Pharma, psychiatry officialdom, and justice institutions regarding mood-altering (psychotropic) drugs -- specifically the denial of the similarity between illegal and psychiatric drugs.

Author and science writer Michael Pollan observed the following about Americans' illegal-psychiatric drug hypocrisy: "Historians of the future will wonder how a people possessed of such a deep faith in the power of drugs also found themselves fighting a war against certain other drugs with not-dissimilar powers. ... We hate drugs. We love drugs. Or could it be that we hate the fact that we love drugs?"

When we recognize that psychotropic prescription drugs are chemically similar to illegal psychotropic drugs, and that all of these substances are used for similar purposes, we see two injustices. First, we see the classification of millions of Americans as criminals for using certain drugs, while millions of others, using essentially similar drugs for similar purposes, are seen as patients. Second, we see a denial of those societal realities that compel increasing numbers of Americans to use psychotropic drugs.

It is politically -- and economically -- incorrect for the corporate press, dependent on Big Pharma advertising revenue, to compare psychiatric drugs with illegal drugs. However, the psychiatry drug textbook A Primer of Drug Action notes that individuals who have used cocaine have difficulty distinguishing between the subjective effects of cocaine and dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine) when both are administered intravenously. The amphetamines Dexedrine and Adderall, besides being prescribed for ADHD, are used by many college kids, truck drivers, and others to pull all-nighters.

Alter Net Health - Read Full Text

A sensible approach to America and drugs.

[ixion]

1. we are hard wired to use drugs... a 'war' on drugs is ludicrous and hypocritical

and has done nothing but shred the social fabric, and deprive us of our civil liberties.

End the so-called 'wars' on drugs and terror, and let's return to something more rational, like tolerance.

If you smoke pot, and you're not hurting anyone, you shouldn't be chastised for it.

[flashl]

2. Advocates, clinicians, and orgs like LEAP have solid info avail

for any policy maker who would heed their calls.

[deadlikeme13]

6. But think about how many cops, judges, prison guards and parole officers would be out of work.

I mean come on, its not just about the so-called "law"...its about big $$$!!

[kimmerspixelated]

3. Interesting post.

Big Pharma really is evil. They could care less if their synthetic poisons help at all. In fact, they are hoping they don't work so well, so they can get more research money. They run their business like fascist mafiosos, complete with propaganda that has the majority duped.

[vorlund]

4. Here's some real hypocrisy for you...

Adderal is a trademarked name for Amphetamine.

Desoxyn is a trademarked name for Methamphetamine.

Both of these compounds are routinely prescribed to adult patients with ADD and ADHD. However, these same compounds are simultaneously being talked about by the media as the worst drug epidemic to ever strike America.

Just a thought...

[flashl]

5. Good points.

[killbotfactory]

7. The War on Drugs has never really been about drug prevention

It has always been about oppressing certain minority groups, from mexican immigrants in the 30's, to hippies and anti-war folks in the 60's and 70's, to the black community in the 80's and 90's.

In the 80's, the Reagan administration allowed cocaine to be flown into the US, and distributed as crack to the inner cities.

http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB2/nsaebb2.htm

This coincided with a re-invigorated "war on drugs", and a crack/powder cocaine sentencing disparity that sent enormous amounts of black people into our prison system for involvement with crack, while giving rich folks who used the powder form of cocaine a slap on the wrist.