IS DRUG USE ONLY BAD FOR USERS?

I see drugs as an extreme example of how selfish Western society has
become. The usual claim of drug users is that they are harming themselves,
usually just because they think it is fun, cool or a rebellious act. Of
course, the occasional drug user will say that occasional use is not
harmful. That may be true in some cases, but there is a tricky side: Many
drug addicts still think they are occasional users.

Drugs -- cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana, cocaine or other mind-altering
substances -- have been seen by societies throughout time as a form of
entertainment. I, however, am against some of these forms of entertainment.

Sure, entertainment is important for everyone. And if it is claimed that
being high on drugs is an ephemeral pleasure, you can say movies are too.
You pay to have a two-hour diversion from your life, enjoying a different
reality for that brief while -- although there is the very reasonable
argument that a Britney Spears movie can be harmful to your brain.

But ephemerality is not why I am against drugs. Even if movies do have the
power to concentrate large amounts of money in the hands of a few, you will
never see Julia Roberts equipping an army of fans or mercenaries to
terrorize Hollywood. But drug lords do that quite often, putting cities in
other parts of the globe under siege.

The personal damages of drugs are not of my concern, but the social damages
are. If someone buys illegal drugs, the money paid to buy drugs will only
go to the wrong hands. Petty criminals, corrupt police officers, drug
smugglers, weapon smugglers, terrorists; the list goes on. Drug money will
run a wicked path, seeding destruction wherever it goes.

There are, of course, the complete incoherencies of the legislation about
drugs. Tobacco corporations were ordered by courts of justice to pay heaps
of money because they knew cigarettes were addictive and hazardous for
health. And even after all that, cigarettes are still legal. Only now, a
wimpy warning notifies you that what you are buying is bad for you. Why
this is OK and other drugs are forbidden beats me.

Of course, whether other illegal drugs have better or worse effects than
cigarettes and alcohol is a whole different discussion which I leave to
professionals who know about it. The Indiana Prevention Resource Center has
some information on that, for those who are interested.

But I do believe that if you actually care about what is happening in other
parts of the globe, then you should pass on the entertainment provided by
illegal drugs. Even if all you care about is to support American troops,
U.S. soldiers are fighting a silent war in Colombia as you read this. The
money you pay for illegal drugs here will probably be used to buy weapons
there. Author Paul Kennedy, in his book "Preparing for the 21st Century,"
says 90 percent of the marijuana and more than 80 percent of the cocaine
entering the United States are produced or move through South America.

Besides being unpatriotic, the usual penalty for possessing marijuana is a
class A misdemeanor and brings up to one year in prison and a maximum fine
of $5,000.