WRITERS DISAGREE ON SUBSTANCE

Letter writer Kourosh Fallahzadeh wrote an excellent letter. However,
there are some myths perpetuated I would like to address.

I am a fan of Dr. Thomas Szasz, one of the lead libertarian intellectuals
of our time. Addiction is a stigmatizing term that is culturally
conditioned and reflects more abut the culture that believes in it than any
actual powers of allurement attributed to chemicals found on the periodic
table. The theory of addiction has never been proven.

When looked at under the microscope addictions are simply the latest in a
long line of "destroyer of will" theories that always find receptive ears
in theologic society conditioned to believe in demonic possession. For the
record, masturbatory insanity was the chief psychiatric disorder before
"dependency" came along. Drug addict and its brother, alcoholic are moral
judgments that have been passed off as some sort of medical disorder simply
because the psychiatrist has the power to coerce and the preacher doesn't.

Addiction was known as lust for pleasure and gluttony for thousands of
years before the theologic state evolved into the therapeutic state
according to Dr. Szasz. Those are two of the Seven Deadly Sins of which
engaging in leads to spiritual death according to traditional
teachings. There can be either free will be addiction in this universe.

People destroy their own lives for a million reasons. Drugs are but one of
a many ways people harm themselves with the worst offenders using ropes to
end it all. Ropes do not cause suicide and drugs do not cause
usage. People choose to use drugs of their own free will.

Hard and soft are also moral judgments and have no basis in chemical
analysis of drugs (By the way, both alcohol and cigarettes are ceremonial
and ritual drugs used because there is no such thing as recreational
use. I go mountain biking for recreation.

When you are clinking beer glasses with your friends, you are engaging in
one of Western society's oldest rituals. "Recreating" is some kind of
government Orwellian thought control word to go along with the other
thought control words about our medicines.

All "non-medical" use of drugs is defined as abuse in government
propaganda. This reveals the strongest argument for repealing drug
prohibition. In order to control substances, the state has to control the
ideas about them too. Just how free can you be when the state controls ideas?

Chris Buors