WHICH ADDICTION?

In the midst of our oil-inspired world crisis, the Prohibition
Industry would rather we be alarmed that people still smoke pot, go to
raves and generally dismiss its multimillion-dollar propaganda
campaign. We all know that there is a minority of folks who have
genuine drug addiction problems, but the misleading message of this
industry is that anyone who uses illegal drugs is a miserable and
potentially dangerous loser.

Tell that to Louis Armstrong. Armstrong, one of America's greatest
jazz musicians, smoked pot daily and as far as I can tell it only
improved his performance.

I'd like to see a prohibitionist play the horn like old Satchmo. And
Armstrong isn't alone hundreds if not thousands of artists throughout
history have used drugs in one form or another to enhance or alter
their perceptions of "reality." Some of these drug users may have
contributed more to human evolution than all the prohibitionists put
together. While it is true that a few of these artists also struggled
through personal hells (sometimes drug-related), it is a lie to assert
that any and all drug use always ruins a person's life.

Dishonesty is also evident in the clever phrasing prohibitionists use.
It's "war," a simplistic us vs. them, good guys and bad guys. Those in
the Prohibition Industry avoid using the word "prohibition" because it
recalls the abysmal failure of the past and the violence and
corruption that ensued. Even the clever doctrine of "denial" is meant
to dismiss a person with a label when they don't buy into the
questionable worldview of the prohibitionist, not unlike the
Inquisition when disbelief in Satan was considered evidence of his
influence. Worse, the "good guys" of prohibition never acknowledge
their corrosive effect on freedom and privacy.

The industry regularly distorts statistics to pad its case. Citing
exaggerated hospital admissions and using statistics extrapolated to
alarming proportions are common tactics. The Drug Policy Alliance
(www.lindesmith.org) is a good source for exposing the dishonesty of
the Prohibition Industry.

A hidden motive for some of these distortions is clearly profit. The
testing industry alone is a $5.9 billion industry, according to
Standard & Poor's, and 57 percent of marijuana treatment admissions
are court-ordered business is booming. While I know many honest and
loving counselors who work honorably to heal those with genuine
problems, others who portray themselves as white-hat saviors are
actually self-serving propagandists.

It is ironic that this industry, with its supposed zeal for "health
and safety," completely ignores Big Pharma and its manipulative
practices like TV ad campaigns that encourage us to "ask your doctor"
if Drug X is "right for you." If that's not pushing drugs, I don't
know what is. Little Johnny isn't allowed to smoke a joint, but he is
harassed into taking behavior-controlling drugs like Ritalin. "Just
say no to pot, but don't forget to take your Ritalin" is hypocrisy
that young people are right to reject.

Perhaps the ghosts of Puritanism haunt us still. I find it strange
that our culture distrusts substances that elevate mood and cause
pleasure, but we place full confidence in corporate-made,
mood-leveling prescription drugs that have many negative side effects.
Though they do offer relief to some folks, "legitimate" prescription
drugs are sometimes veiled attempts at social control, chemicals meant
to encourage conformity, docility and maintain "productivity." It's as
if the ultimate value of a human being is as a resource for business.

Those who chant their warnings of "reefer madness" would serve us
better if they were active in attacking pollution problems that take
an untold toll on everyone's health, but I guess the oil industry is a
tougher target than the average stoner.

If "addiction" is the real issue, what about the addiction of
government agencies to prohibition money? Or why don't prohibitionists
address American addiction to celebrity, materialism and consumer
values? What of the compulsion to persecute those who make different
lifestyle choices, especially when those choices are essentially
harmless? What about corporate addiction to greed? Aren't some
politicians addicted to power and the privilege and control that comes
with it? What about our national addiction to oil that has caused
uncalculated environmental damage and war? These are far more serious
addictions. There is more to fear from an ambitious politician or an
unregulated corporation consciousness than from any pothead or raver.

Prohibitionists bemoan an increase in the number of teens in addiction
treatment facilities, as if this is an indication of a genuine problem
rather than the result of their aggressive marketing of these pricey
programs. This is another one of the industry's little
dishonesties.

While other countries are sensibly decriminalizing marijuana, the
United States is stepping up its attack on this ancient and relatively
harmless drug. While objective medical analysis has been inconclusive
at best, bronchial problems and "possible" cancer risk are mentioned
in some studies. Even so, for thousands of years, this plant has been
used by religious mystics without disaster, yet our own government and
the Prohibition Industry demonize it. Perhaps pot use stays constant
because smokers know from personal experience that the propaganda is
false.

Ecstasy, another target of the industry, has been used successfully in
therapy, yet our legislators are busily working to stamp it out and
crush the generally peaceful raves where it can be found.
Prohibitionists will say that overdose and impurity pose a danger to
ravers, but these are problems caused by a prohibition climate, not
the drug itself. Overdose and impurity are usually not a problem for
legal drugs that are regulated and taxed. We might as well legalize
and tax some of the drugs we now condemn. At least that would generate
the revenue to help us maintain our addiction to oil.