British Ecstasy Dealer Sentenced To 7 Years Jail

[OlRedEyes]

Hunter S. Thompson - another great writer and drug user (hallucingens)

Suicide Note:

"No More Games. No More Bombs. No More Walking. No More Fun. No More Swimming. 67. That is 17 years past 50. 17 more than I needed or wanted. Boring. I am always bitchy. No Fun -- for anybody. 67. You are getting Greedy. Act your old age. Relax -- This won't hurt."

LivingLOS - perhaps you were lucky one and I applaud you, but I've read countless deaths from teenagers popping X. Simply put its a dangerous narcotic and you keep justifying its use by comparing alcohol + fags to it. (apples/oranges)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

How does this suicide note tie up to drug use? Sounds like normal in the west to me. Actually makes sense.

I am not a drug user, but have tried a few.

What irks me most is the fact that things are made illegal mostly be vested interest groups, via 'scientific studies' that are financed by these groups. Then a whole marketing machine goes into operation to brainwash the masses, who are generally easily brainwashed. A study by a scientist means nothing, you as a layman normally have no knowledge of that scientist's integrity. Before swallowing 'scientific studies', read some scientific reviews on those studies. Independant ones. Else be sceptical.

The 20th century saw a whole series of flawed scientific studies coming out of especially the US, funded by interest groups. They were all mostly crap. But they achieved their aim, and have been swallowed hook. line and sinker.

I have interacted since childhood with many people on various drugs, and my honest opinion is that alchohol is the most destructive overall, both for the user and those around them.

[britmaveric]

Hunter S Thompson - notorious drug user- heaps hallucingens. Fked him up in later life and well as you see the end result.

[aughie]

E stimulates the body to release serotonin into the circulatory system, thus the feelings of well being. I have not tried it but I hear it is similar to opiates in the 'well being' department. The body's supply of serotonin is depleted after using E which is why people get the Blue Tuesdays, a depression due to the lack of serotonin available in the body to provide and sustain normal feelings of day to day well being. The body's production of serotonin cannot keep up with the demand the drug stimulates. It can lead to a change in body chemistry in that serotonin is not released until E stimulates it to do so. Then the individual can suffer chronic depression. In the long run it is bad news and for some individuals, depending on their body chemistry, it can induce suicidal desires because of the low seratonin levels in the body the drug use brings about.

People will have different stories because we all have different body chemistry to a degree. But I believe no one can stand up to extended use of E.

*Some people may not experience the blues brought on by short term E use because they alleviate it through the use of another drug like marajuana or alcohol.

Edited October 8, 2005 by aughie

[mogoso]

No sympathy here!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

None here either. Not withstanding my own views toward drug use, I'd legalize it for adults, and let them all overdose with free whatever they wanted. Darwinism at its best.

Death penalty to those that would supply minors, major time for driving under influence.

Those going to Thailand should know, that the penalties are harsh, and the Bangkok Hilton isn't up to the standards of the Ritz Carlton. So if you can't do the time, don't whine.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Your post simply demonstrates your ignorance. ALL DRUGS ARE NOT THE SAME. Alcohol is more dangerous than ecstacy. But that's easy to tax now isn't it? Wake up!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I won't say I have more than a passing fancy knowledge about illegal drugs, but it doesn't matter what my feeling or opinions about them. The fact is the bloke knew they were illegal, but still decided to make the quick and easy cash. He knew the risks, and now its time to pay the piper. ###### the dumbass could've gone to Malaysia, and now we'd be talking about a death sentence. If you decide to follow a crooked path, you deserve to get what you get.

[Fast Eddie]

E stimulates the body to release serotonin into the circulatory system, thus the feelings of well being.  I have not tried it but I hear it is similar to opiates in the 'well being' department. The body's supply of serotonin is depleted after using E which is why people get the Blue Tuesdays, a depression due to the lack of serotonin available in the body to provide and sustain normal feelings of day to day well being.  The body's production of serotonin cannot keep up with the demand the drug stimulates.  It can lead to a change in body chemistry in that serotonin is not released until E stimulates it to do so.  Then the individual can suffer chronic depression.  In the long run it is bad news and for some individuals, depending on their body chemistry, it can induce suicidal desires because of the low  seratonin levels in the body the drug use brings about.

People will have different stories because we all have different body chemistry to a degree.  But I believe no one can stand up to extended use of E.

*Some people may not experience the blues brought on by short term E use because they alleviate it through the use of another drug like marajuana or alcohol.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You make it clear that you have no first hand knowledge of what you are talking about. Regardless, you are correct in some of what you say. Taking Ectsasy certainly depletes your seratonin in the short term, but the claims that it changes your body chemistry so that seratonin is not released until ecstasty is taken would appear to be incorrect, however i would be interested in reading any studies that prove this to be the case. Yes, you do often feel a bit low the next day, ever heard of a hangover?

As for this statement

'In the long run it is bad news and for some individuals, depending on their body chemistry, it can induce suicidal desires'

You've just described life for some people.

Whilst i don't mean to trivialise their plight, and i accept that excessive over consumption of any mood altering substance can have a negative effect on an individual, you will find that the overwhelming majority of people have no such desires at all. In fact probably considerabley less display this characteristic than those that choose to indulge in taking a socially acceptable drug such as alcohol.

It's interesting that those on this thread who have the most experience with taking the drug in question are also those who recognise how much more damaging the potential effects of some other legally available mood altering substances can be.

'But I believe no one can stand up to extended use of E'

Tell that to LivinLos, he seems to have done alright by the sounds of things. But if we're talking every day serious use of the substance, of course not. How many people do you think would be able to stand up to long term use of any mood altering substance, including alcohol, nicoteine, valium and any other socially acceptable drug?

It's fairly obvious that if you abuse yourself, with any substance that is to hand, that it will have a long term negative effect on your health.

[alesypalsy]

7 years the man was lucky, I saw a headline last year where the chap got 99 years, 7 years very lucky he could have got life,

I dont give a monkeys about soft core drugs (each to their own) and no i do not even smoke pot, beer is best! but all visiters to the country know the laws on drugs so really he was quite foolish,

Funnily enough i was sitting outside 7/11 in nana some time ago and some fool asked me if i wanted to buy any e's, He soon got told where to go, idiot!

Dont want to repeat myself but the chap should be thankful he only got 7 years. My 1 bahts worth

[LivinLOS]

Hunter S Thompson - notorious drug user- heaps hallucingens. Fked him up in  later life and well as you see the end result.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hunter, a man who I was going to include earlier about Burroughs but realized with his recent suicide would be brought up.. Concerning his suicide Hunter had been troubled in the last years by having a badly broken leg that was not healing well, he had also had a hip replacement IIRC, both of these things debilitated him and knocked him physically low. He always was a notorious wild man and hated the aging process that was happening to him and its easy to see how this had a major effect on his state of mind.

No more games, no more bombs, no more walking, no more swimming.. Thse are his issues it would appear.

He was a legend and his best writing was usually a knock on effect of his great and unusual personality..

[Neeranam]

I dont give a monkeys about soft core drugs (each to their own) and no i do not even smoke pot, beer is best! but all visiters to the country know the laws on drugs so really he was quite foolish,

Maybe he was, in fact, just an idiot. But maybe not.

How can you say beer is best when you've never tried any other drugs.

It's like me saying my car is better to drive than a Rolls Royce, Bentley, never haven driven one before.

Where I live in Isaan, has a HUGE alcohol problem. I know of some who try to get over their disease by taking illegal drugs such as 'kratom' or 'grass'. It doesn't work, but the families of these people are glad when they try to use this method.

Just look at the statistics , as others have said. Look at the court cases, for example. I'd say that 80% are alcohol related.

Look at suicides, wife-beating, child-molestation, dangerous driving, etc - what is the cause, ecstacy or alcohol?

Like the alcoholic judge who throws a lengthy sentence to the weed-smoker self-righteously. Who is he trying to make feel better? Who in fact has the problem?

[LivinLOS]

To all those posters who feel the need to comment, 'He knew the penalies.. his fault' etc..

Of course thats a fact, Thailand has strong drug laws and he was mad to get caught up in them.. The points I am trying to make is 'should' countries have strong drug laws ?? If so why should they have strong drug laws ?? and even if society does wish to control its citizens to the point of telling them when they can and connot intoxicate themselves, and with waht gov approved intoxicants, what is a fair and fitting punishment for someone who supplies those other (untaxed) intoxicants.

Ecstacy is actually a pretty easy one to use as an arguement as it really is a low harm (not no harm of course) drug for most people in reasonable doses..

Pot being illegal simply tells me this hast to be Governments wanting to keep thier population dumbed down on drink as the taxable intoxicant of choice and doesnt want curious alternative thinkers out there.. Ever heard of a pot overdose ?? Ever heard of a pot fight, ever heard of dope smoking gangs out beating others up, etc etc etc. I dont smoke (anything) but with the many genuine medical benefits they are discovering and the harm factor being so low then simply why ??? I assume we must all have met some pot smokers ?? Now honestly have you ever met a belligerant pot smoker ?? Was a stoned person ever aggressive without reason towards you ??

I am fairly full bore in that I dont think it is the job of governments to tell me what a consenting adult does as long as it causes no harm to anyone else. I think a drug war is unwinnable and that it should be my right to do as I wish with my own body even if it is damaging to me its still my right..

I tend to think the world has gone a little mad with government interference (farmhouse blue cheeses are becoming illegal due to EEC bacteria laws !!! I know the bacteria might make me have a bad stomach, I like the taste of the stuff and its my stomach to risk) and just dont see how those choices can be anyone elses but my own. Even if something is harmful to me why am I not allowed to make an educated choice to do it ??

Skiing is harmful to one ###### of a lot of people who take it up, but we wouldnt dream of making it illegal. Exploring dangerous places like mountains and the ocean floor is very risky but its not illegal (in fact its admired) so why is it if I want to be a Magellan of my own mind and take some compound like DMT or even a natural growing thing like a funny fungi and explore inner space, come to terms with some of my own hangups and issues, have unusual thoughts to examine consider and later reflect apon. Or even just listen to music or watch a funny film and laugh my ass off.. Why did I commit a crime ??

These feelings and opinions of mine have in part been the reasons I left the UK and lived a long time in Holland, and also enjoy the low government interference in many levels of countries not as 'developed' as the west..

Drugs are not really important to me but the freedom of choice around this issue is something I personally feel pretty strongly about.. the west trumpets the 'land of the free' banner so often but the freedom of personal choice, to do what I wish without harming others, is as important as the freedom of speech, the press, etc..

[alesypalsy]

To all those posters who feel the need to comment, 'He knew the penalies.. his fault' etc..

Of course thats a fact, Thailand has strong drug laws and he was mad to get caught up in them.. The points I am trying to make is 'should' countries have strong drug laws ?? If so why should they have strong drug laws ?? and even if society does wish to control its citizens to the point of telling them when they can and connot intoxicate themselves, and with waht gov approved intoxicants, what is a fair and fitting punishment for someone who supplies those other (untaxed) intoxicants.

Ecstacy is actually a pretty easy one to use as an arguement as it really is a low harm (not no harm of course) drug for most people in reasonable doses..

Pot being illegal simply tells me this hast to be Governments wanting to keep thier population dumbed down on drink as the taxable intoxicant of choice and doesnt want curious alternative thinkers out there.. Ever heard of a pot overdose ?? Ever heard of a pot fight, ever heard of dope smoking gangs out beating others up, etc etc etc. I dont smoke (anything) but with the many genuine medical benefits they are discovering and the harm factor being so low then simply why ??? I assume we must all have met some pot smokers ?? Now honestly have you ever met a belligerant pot smoker ?? Was a stoned person ever aggressive without reason towards you ??

I am fairly full bore in that I dont think it is the job of governments to tell me what a consenting adult does as long as it causes no harm to anyone else. I think a drug war is unwinnable and that it should be my right to do as I wish with my own body even if it is damaging to me its still my right..

I tend to think the world has gone a little mad with government interference (farmhouse blue cheeses are becoming illegal due to EEC bacteria laws !!! I know the bacteria might make me have a bad stomach, I like the taste of the stuff and its my stomach to risk) and just dont see how those choices can be anyone elses but my own. Even if something is harmful to me why am I not allowed to make an educated choice to do it ??

Skiing is harmful to one ###### of a lot of people who take it up, but we wouldnt dream of making it illegal. Exploring dangerous places like mountains and the ocean floor is very risky but its not illegal (in fact its admired) so why is it if I want to be a Magellan of my own mind and take some compound like DMT or even a natural growing thing like a funny fungi and explore inner space, come to terms with some of my own hangups and issues, have unusual thoughts to examine consider and later reflect apon. Or even just listen to music or watch a funny film and laugh my ass off.. Why did I commit a crime ??

These feelings and opinions of mine have in part been the reasons I left the UK and lived a long time in Holland, and also enjoy the low government interference in many levels of countries not as 'developed' as the west..

Drugs are not really important to me but the freedom of choice around this issue is something I personally feel pretty strongly about.. the west trumpets the 'land of the free' banner so often but the freedom of personal choice, to do what I wish without harming others, is as important as the freedom of speech, the press, etc..

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Dont get me wrong chaps, I was just expressing the point I thought the chap was lucky getting 7 years, and in my younger day I have experimented of course, I have absolutley no hatred towards any one that does whatever drug they like, as i stated each to their own.

Although I do have rather differnt views on hard core drugs,

To me you are correct in what you say on intoxicating liquor to pot or the e tablet as it is much worse for crime rates and aggresion, I am all for the freedom to do as you please but as you know well this is thailand, Did you read my post a while ago where i had to pay a 150,000 baht fine for bringing in 50 cartons of malbourgh lights! I learnt a very costly lesson there but I was really dumb in thinking it was alright as i was taking them to the UK in a few days so didnt think any harm in it!,

Well all i can say is hope the guy dont go crazy, i had a pal in the hilton years ago for a very small amount of pot, he done 4 years for a stupid amount and when went back to UK he was gone in the head, But to be honest he was nuts anyway,,, I will say no more as it will turn to drivel,

I hope to god that no one does ever get set up with any thing like this stuff as it would be sole destroying, as for this chap hope he gets through it, I hear they got some tasty katoys to keep him going

[StateSix]

No sympathy here!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You're cold hearted then. Why don't you read a little about ecstacy? Its only dangerous if you forget to drink water. Go back to your black label and Chang.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That is the kind of miseducation that causes deaths. Taking ecstacy itself does not mean you should drink more water. It does not cause you to dehydrate. What does is dancing for hours in a hot, sweaty club. In that situation you will sweat profusely and hence dehydrate. That is where you should drink more. Ecstacy is alleged to affect the bodies ability to regulate its heat so could cause your core body temperature to rise, but if you are at a party at someone house you are very likely to overheat and dehydrate.

Leah Betts (a young female who died after taking ecstacy a few years ago in the UK) had obviously read the 'advice' that you should drink lots of water and did so. She was not overheating as she was at a party not a club. She basically drowned as her body could not metabolise the water quickly enough. In essence her death was not strictly caused by ecstacy, but by drinking too much water. People argue that ecstacy had a big part in it. Maybe, but I believe that miseducation caused it.

[taxexile]

living in los ,

leaving aside alcohol for the moment , would you advocate the same freedoms for the purchase and use of amphetamines and crack and powder cocaine as you do for the more laid back and pleasurable intoxicants such as the opiates ,marijuana and ecstasy , or are you of the opinion that some drugs are just too nasty to make freely available , and the general public are too stupid to be able to protect themselves from the negative effects that taking them causes , (both to themselves and to the non users who get in the way of users? )

shouldnt society be protected from users of such substances.

[chownah]

living in los ,

leaving aside alcohol for the moment , would you advocate the same freedoms for the purchase and use of amphetamines and  crack and powder cocaine as you do for the more laid back and pleasurable intoxicants such as the opiates ,marijuana and ecstasy , or are you of the opinion that some drugs are just too nasty to make freely available , and the general public are too stupid to be able to protect themselves from the negative effects that taking them causes , (both to themselves  and to the non users who get in the way of  users? )

shouldnt society be protected from users of such substances.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes, I agree completely that society should be protected from substance abusers....and....the problem with criminalization is that it does not protect society from substance abusers...on the contrary it forces abusers into hiding as they seek to avoid the legal consequences of the laws...and it creates another entire kind of malais e.g. adolescents are attracted to unsanctioned activities, people with really serious problems do not seek medical help, the price of drugs is artificially high so that people commit acts of theft and prostitution to get their supply. The criminalization of drugs does not protect us...on the contrary it jeaprodizes our safety and well being.

[taxexile]

Yes, I agree completely that society should be protected from substance abusers....and....the problem with criminalization is that it does not protect society from substance abusers...

so would you legalise the possession and use of cocaine , crack cocaine , heroin and amphetamines , and make them available to all who requested them at sanctioned outlets ?

[bkkmadness]

Hunter S Thompson - notorious drug user- heaps hallucingens. Fked him up in  later life and well as you see the end result.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

He also drunk a lot too Brit. Besides this is one case of an extreme user you are offering here as your drugs are bad evidence, a walk through sukhumvit or Pattaya will show you many people that are messed up on booze.

You must know some people that have indulged and lived to tell the tale?

[Gary A]

SOM NAM NAH here too. I have no sympathy for criminals who damage society by selling drugs. I lived near East Los Angeles and saw what drug use does to people. Most crime including rape and murder are drug related. You happy dopers take note of how Thailand handles your kind. Stay home and peddle the sh!t there!!

[bkkmadness]

SOM NAM NAH here too. I have no sympathy for criminals who damage society by selling drugs. I lived near East Los Angeles and saw what drug use does to people. Most crime including rape and murder are drug related. You happy dopers take note of how Thailand handles your kind. Stay home and peddle the sh!t there!!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Is East LA ripe with ecstasy abuse that has led to addiction and rape then? I would have thought crack would have been the drug of choice there.

Of course when talking about drugs in society you can't put all drugs in one basket and label them as bad.

[khall64au]

E stimulates the body to release serotonin into the circulatory system, thus the feelings of well being.  I have not tried it but I hear it is similar to opiates in the 'well being' department. The body's supply of serotonin is depleted after using E which is why people get the Blue Tuesdays, a depression due to the lack of serotonin available in the body to provide and sustain normal feelings of day to day well being.  The body's production of serotonin cannot keep up with the demand the drug stimulates.  It can lead to a change in body chemistry in that serotonin is not released until E stimulates it to do so.  Then the individual can suffer chronic depression.   In the long run it is bad news and for some individuals, depending on their body chemistry, it can induce suicidal desires because of the low  seratonin levels in the body the drug use brings about.

People will have different stories because we all have different body chemistry to a degree.  But I believe no one can stand up to extended use of E.

*Some people may not experience the blues brought on by short term E use because they alleviate it through the use of another drug like marajuana or alcohol.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You make it clear that you have no first hand knowledge of what you are talking about. Regardless, you are correct in some of what you say. Taking Ectsasy certainly depletes your seratonin in the short term, but the claims that it changes your body chemistry so that seratonin is not released until ecstasty is taken would appear to be incorrect, however i would be interested in reading any studies that prove this to be the case. Yes, you do often feel a bit low the next day, ever heard of a hangover?

As for this statement

'In the long run it is bad news and for some individuals, depending on their body chemistry, it can induce suicidal desires'

You've just described life for some people.

Whilst i don't mean to trivialise their plight, and i accept that excessive over consumption of any mood altering substance can have a negative effect on an individual, you will find that the overwhelming majority of people have no such desires at all. In fact probably considerabley less display this characteristic than those that choose to indulge in taking a socially acceptable drug such as alcohol.

It's interesting that those on this thread who have the most experience with taking the drug in question are also those who recognise how much more damaging the potential effects of some other legally available mood altering substances can be.

'But I believe no one can stand up to extended use of E'

Tell that to LivinLos, he seems to have done alright by the sounds of things. But if we're talking every day serious use of the substance, of course not. How many people do you think would be able to stand up to long term use of any mood altering substance, including alcohol, nicoteine, valium and any other socially acceptable drug?

It's fairly obvious that if you abuse yourself, with any substance that is to hand, that it will have a long term negative effect on your health.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

From readings of several years ago, I learnt that ecstacy depletes the brain of serotonin which naturally takes 3 weeks to restore to normal levels. Thus, for regular weekend users of the drug, the serotonin levels are never at normal levels - resulting in permanent depression. A friend became suicidally depressed after a few years of constant "party" drug indulgence. She was taking E and other party pills, on average, 3 times a week. Eventually, after her psychiatrist refused to increase her medication, she killed herself. She was 24.

[bkkmadness]

If you over use a lot of drugs you will have bad side effects, and its true many users of speed and E. However, used with caution they are virtually harmless drugs.

[Pattaya_Fox]

If you over use a lot of drugs you will have bad side effects, and its true many users of speed and E.  However, used with caution they are virtually harmless drugs.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The problem is that many of the dealers don`t give a hoot who they sell their E to or any of the other drugs they are dealing in, they are doing it purely for the money and the more they sell the more they make and the more misery they create.......and that is why Laws have to be made to protect people especially the young and very gullible and naive in society.

We have read with interest the posts from people who have used E, some for a long time and some with other hard drugs and they seemingly feel that they have come through or are going through life unscathed by their drug taking.

These people do not require the protection of the law because they feel that the drugs are harmless...so be it.

The drug legislation in Thailand then will protect the (shall I say) less accustomed people to E and other drugs and in order to do this the dealers must be kept away from society and stopped from supplying their illegal substances and a prison sentence is the way of doing this.

[bkkmadness]

and that is why Laws have to be made to protect people especially the young and very gullible and naive in society

And unfotunately these measures have not worked, as drugs are availble to anyone with the only requirement being they have enough money to pay for the drug. Perhaps if drug dealing was taken out of the hand of the illegal dealers and regulated by the government the young and gullible might be protected more.

[Pattaya_Fox]

and that is why Laws have to be made to protect people especially the young and very gullible and naive in society

And unfotunately these measures have not worked, as drugs are availble to anyone with the only requirement being they have enough money to pay for the drug. Perhaps if drug dealing was taken out of the hand of the illegal dealers and regulated by the government the young and gullible might be protected more.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

And that`s a whole new or not so new argument which will never happen mate.

[bkkmadness]

and that is why Laws have to be made to protect people especially the young and very gullible and naive in society

And unfotunately these measures have not worked, as drugs are availble to anyone with the only requirement being they have enough money to pay for the drug. Perhaps if drug dealing was taken out of the hand of the illegal dealers and regulated by the government the young and gullible might be protected more.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

And that`s a whole new or not so new argument which will never happen mate.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It could happen, but it will be a long time before it will. Illegal drugs have been made legal before and and sold with restrictions to make its use safer and dealers off the streets.

[carlthailand]

SOM NAM NAH here too. I have no sympathy for criminals who damage society by selling drugs. I lived near East Los Angeles and saw what drug use does to people. Most crime including rape and murder are drug related. You happy dopers take note of how Thailand handles your kind. Stay home and peddle the sh!t there!!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Please note the words used above.

Happy dopers. Most are.

Love to know the Stats for Amsterdam.

Regulating an industry THAT must have high up corruption involved is better. Drugs like Coke are for the rich. Again having been in the club scene I have seen a lot of use and abuse. Who do you think has the money to get these drugs in large quantities. Surely, not the lil 'ol street drug dealer.

I read this quote once.

There are two types of drug dealers. Those that use fork trucks and those that don't.

C

Edited October 10, 2005 by carlthailand

[Joey Boy]

the laws the law @ the end of the day, if jaywalking carried a 7 year sentence would you have any sympathy for someone if they got locked up for it, who knew the consiquence to their actions in advance..

If you can't do the time, don't do the crime

I can't help but think what loosers these people are who get caught and then start making excuses and winge about how harshly they are treated, its their own fault, they knew what would happen if they were caught, they deserve every year they get..

[aughie]

Maybe E does not cause violent urges in the user like say alcohol but can it be consumed daily over a person's adult lifetime of sixty or seventy years without ill effects? If it can't then in that aspect it is not a more benign drug than alcohol.

The misery of alcohol is widespread because it is legal and so widely used. Who knows how much ruin would be generated by the legalization of presently illegal drugs. The spike in the degree of ruin could be high before the initial novelty of legalization wore off and people settled down to using them responsibly.

I wish to retain as much freedom and personal responsibility for my own life as possible, but for me, drugs is a case where I would be willing to sacrifice a personal freedom for what I feel is the good of the community. If outlawing the recreational use of certain drugs expresses a desire by society to protect members from what it perceives as a danger, what if then society decides to legalize recreational use of drugs, is there a community responsiblity to those who become addicted or disabled, or is it a personal responsibilty?

I'm not up to speed on recreactional drug use in Europe. Is heroin or cocaine legal anywhere? Are they illegal but the laws are not rigorously enforced?

Edited October 12, 2005 by aughie

[Gary A]

A FORMER friend of mine, note, I said former friend gave a young Thai lady an ecstasy trip. The result of that was that she was running through a fairly large hotel naked. You may think it is funny like the ###### who gave it to her but I found it disgusting to say the least. I have not spoken to him since I unloaded on him. I can't say I would have felt bad if he had gone to jail.

Is East LA ripe with ecstasy abuse that has led to addiction and rape then? I would have thought crack would have been the drug of choice there.

Of course when talking about drugs in society you can't put all drugs in one basket and label them as bad.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[meemiathai]

Did the thai lady know what she was having?

If yes, she herself is responsible for what ever happened. No one to blame.

[Joey Boy]

The result of that was that she was running through a fairly large hotel naked.

sounds like she had a good time

[Ijustwannateach]

Yes, it's good that another poor, foreign drug runner has been caught. After all, I'm sure there couldn't be any rich, Thai drug runners around here- certainly not with the way the justice system hammers the rich! Remember Charlerm? No, people like that will be shaking in their boots thinking about what happens to the poor foreign drug runners!!!

"Steven"