DRUGS
If my son had asked me about drugs early in his life I would have told him to stay away from the stuff if at all possible. I would have said that Life is so much easier if you can do without, but other than that I would have to take a deep breath.
Artificial vs Natural.
Scientists say that every emotion we have is due to our own manufacturing of drugs. Our brains and bodies lob chemical molecules around like basket-ball teams. The receptors we have in our brain can detect and react to compounds also found outside the body, in nature’s fauna. Certain chemicals make us feel in certain ways and thanks (or no-thanks) to science, man has concentrated or synthesized these chemicals to boost their effects. One very positive result of such research has been the increased ability to manage severe pain and temporarily suppress strong emotions.
Drugs are everwhere. We use coffee, tea, cigarettes, pain medications, sugar and caffeine drinks, sleeping pills, keep-driving-pills, herbal remedies, doctor-prescribed peptide inhibitors and enhancers. Plants containing drugs have been used for thousands of years by all civilizations for purposes such as vision-quests, therapy or to enhance stamina. Some drugs were used for pleasure, and some to control entire populations by creating mindless slaves. Drugs are ingested, inhaled, injected and absorbed. They are natural and synthetic, and they can heal or kill.
Addiction
From my observations, an addiction to drugs can be chemical or psychological, but it would be safe to say that if something offers temporary relief from an undesirable condition such as a bad neighborhood or an intolerable situation and that condition doesn’t change over time, then that “something” will seem like an attractive alternative from a psychological perspective. Chemically the brain seems to enjoy the up-side effects of drugs, such as the Nicotine found in cigarettes. When the effect wears off, a smokers brain sends a we need more of this signal often by way of a negative emotion. Cigarette manufacturers have, naturally, been happy about this arrangement, as have dealers and manufacturers of caffeine, sugar, and countless street-drugs.
What complicates matters is that although western medicine has largely regarded all humans to be chemically the same, we now recognize that different compounds can affect individuals in vastly different ways. Beer, for example, puts some people to sleep while others become up-beat and highly social or in some cases angry and destructive.
Illegal Spells Profit.
The fact that many drugs made to induce pleasure (if only for a short while) are illegal to the public adds a huge economical incentive to cultivate addicts, who would steal the bells of Santas sleigh for their next fix. On the black market there are no quality controls, and drugs are often mixed with stuff that is cheaper and even more damaging than the substance it proports to be – and just like Prohibition in the 1920’s was the greatest boon to the liquor industry, some say illegality aids in the building of addicts, because it keeps everything hidden.
The History of Drugs.
Whether in the hands of a doctor, a healer or a street-peddler, drugs are not likely to go away. Throughout all recorded history substances of many kinds have been used in order to cause a shift in perspective. Some of a subtle nature, as a cigar after dinner, some of a more spectacular effect such as LSD. Alcohol was often the easiest to make using anything that would ferment from potatoes to rice, grain, fruit and grapes but other compounds found in nature were also cultivated. The Danish Vikings apparently ingested a certain mushroom, Fly Agaric, before going into battles making them go berserk and be impervious to pain. Hitler‘s stormtroopers were give packets of Speed – Crystal Meth – enabling them to battle for days on end. Napoleon‘s forces were supplied refined sugar before battle (developed for the first time in history), having a similar effect.
American Indians used the Peyote Cactus, Mescaline and Magic Mushrooms for vision quest journeys. The sacred Peace Pipe passed around could well have contained only tobacco, but I doubt it. Further south, the medicine people in the Brazilian Rainforest for thousands of years have used the bark of the Ayahuasca tree, and parts of the Jurema Shrub in ceremonies, claiming to connect with a spirit world. In Persia the word assassin (I believe) comes from the Mid-Eastern word hashhassin meaning Hash-Eater, and even such venerable institutions as the Oracle of Delphi where,”To thine own self be true” was carved over the entrance to the cave and featured a person affected by a mildly toxic steam naturally occurring in the cave. People have had a need for stimulation for as long as we can imagine and often as a way to perceive a connection with the unknown or divine.
The Arts and Drugs.
Although the generally accepted idea today is that contact with drugs (and alcohol) can only be destructive, many artists have contributed countless works of art, books, movies, songs and music under an influence of some sort. Mozart drank copious amounts of punch and wine during his short, genius life, as actors like Robben Williams later freely admitted to using cocaine and “being on everything but roller skates” during his rise to fame. The Beatles sang about pot and LSD in the Sixties, and one can speculate what songs would have been produced, had they led pious, sober lives. Another great band, the Doobie Brothers, probably also had some knowledge of what a doobie was, I would venture. Country music is more famous for alcoholic stars, but some like Willie Nelson are known for their fondness of Marijuana. The world of Jazz seems to attract artists more of a hard-core nature. Ray Charles, and Charlie Parker come to mind with their addictions to Heroin. Historically speaking, several of the founding fathers are also rumored to have enjoyed a bowl of loco-weed now and then. When Benjamin Franklin floated himself across the village pond pulled by a kite, I personally think he had more than tobacco in his pipe that day. Lately it has also been pointed out to me that the snuff used by many aristocrats during the time of the European Renaissance was a mixture of cocaine and tobacco (no wonder the French Revolution took the ruling class by surprise). Although fictional, Sherlock Holmes was in todays terms a coke-head, exhibiting all the driven, keen behavior typical of a cocaine user. His friend, Dr Watson worried about this habit. During the 60es and 70es many university scientists (some working for the Army) experimented with LSD, and a whole new field of psychopharmacology developed at that time. The singer/writer Paul Simon got in hot water for having weed in his limo during a routine traffic-check, Paul McCartney is said to have divorced his wife over the issue of pot, and do we want to talk about reggae and the Rasta religion?
Two Kinds of Users.
I think users fall into two basic categories: Those wishing to escape, and those on a quest. Those who’s only goal it is to escape reality are easy targets for exploitation, as the desired effects are only temporary while the need to escape remains constant (I have heard that the first shot of Heroin or Crystal-Meth gives a pleasure-rush so intense that the user will spend the rest of his/her life trying to duplicate it and it will actually never happen). If, on the other hand, a drug is used is for the purpose of exploration, the picture may be a little different. A drug like Ecstasy, for instance, were originally developed for intra-personal therapy by a scientists named Alexander Sholgun, who had found a way to mimic what the brain releases when it wants to feel euphoric. Originally a therapist would use the drug to guide married couples at an impasse in their relationship though a journey of the heart – and often with lasting success. Under the guidance couples were able to put personality and events aside and see the universality of each other. The remarkable claims about this method was that the insights, lessons learned and connection made did not vanish with the morning light. In this case the drug was helpful in particular situations, but as Ecstasy became popular, its use and compounds also changed. Lately I have read reports of therapists curing depression – even TSD using magic mushrooms.
In general terms it appears to me that users who are motivated by curiosity, rather than need, seem less likely to become so-called addicts.
Witch Hunt.
Lately there has been a lot of world attention to athletes using drugs to improve their performance. There has been talk about removing suspected users of Steroids from the Hall of Fame (presumably to the Hall of Shame). Although most would agree to rules against practices, giving unfair advantages in sports, should we also ban countless musical compositions and paintings because they were created under the influence or drink or drugs? On the surface it seems that society celebrates creative people when we can either ignore our suspicion that they may be on something, or if they say they used to, but have since put it behind them. It seems, if a person has led a rough life, but now mellowed out, they are considered seasoned and an inspiration to others.
Threats to the public?
Since drugs (and alcohol) have been around forever, and the so-called war on drugs have not had any noticeable effect, it would perhaps make sense to pause and ask a few basic questions such as: Is doing drugs, alcohol, cigarettes and other unhealthy behavior a personal issue or should government get involved? Most would agree that if a person behaves in a dangerous way, we would like action to be taken to minimize danger to others, but what someone does in private, does this constitute a threat to society?
In short I think freedom means the right to figure life out by ourselves, and we have each other to help. Some of us get addicted to credit cards, sex, bad relationships, gambling, sugar or fast food does this mean that the government should step in before we do more harm to ourselves? Do we want the authorities to protect us from ourselves? Not unless we look to government to also define the reason for living, and this, I think, is the central question regarding drugs:
What do we think life is for?
It seems to me, that if we believe life is a test to do the right thing in order to be rewarded at death by a Supreme Being, then the race is on to determine what is right and what is wrong before it’s too late. If life, on the other hand, is an opportunity for a unique experience including personal choice, and there is no judgment or right way in the eyes of the Universe, then we are each free to choose what kind of experience we want. This doesn’t mean we can go crazy because there is no one to punish us: It would indeed be our own loss if we found ourselves wasting away on Opium in the slums of Hong Kong, much like if a foolish action could leave us crippled or stranded on a barren island. Free Will also means personal responsibility, and no one to blame but ourselves.
The down side
of Drugs is that the user often becomes isolated in a personal experience that others can’t relate to, or is caught in either a mental, or chemical dependency. Heavy drug abusers become despondent, listless, and without interests beyond the drug itself. We say that when there are drugs or alcohol involved, the person is not fully able to make good judgments about choices in life and therefore it is a compassionate response to step in and change the situation. In my view, a well functioning community of friends, family and neighbors is probably better suited for such interventions, rather than laws and government. Little is done to help addictions by putting someone in jail.
America
was founded on the idea of personal freedom to pursue a life of ones own choosing. We are allowed to tattoo ourselves from head to toe, eat twinkies for all our meals, smoke cigarettes non stop and never see a dentist, but we are not permitted to alter our minds with any other substance than alcohol, sugar and nicotine.
Personally Speaking,
I grew up during the sixties and had my fair share of various herbs and spices such as Pot, LSD, Mushrooms, and MDMA. I learned a lot and never had a bad experience, but then again, I was never attracted to the hard stuff. Pot helped me better than Prozac and Dextrin during a depressing period of my life, but as circumstances changed my needs for relief also changed. Now I appreciate having a keen mind, and living in the same world as those around me. I also like that I am able to remember my own name and show up on appointments with all my gear. My friends and loved ones helped me to see this, not the government.
So if my son had asked me about drugs, maybe I would have taken a deep breath and ask him to “just say know.…”
