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Friday, August 30, 2013

The Drug War Is Over: Phase II of Drug Use in America

article from Psychology today;

The Justice Department--after first announcing it won't pursue minimum sentencing for drug use any longer--has added to that decision an acceptance of recreational marijuana use by adults in two states where it was legalized and medical marijuana use in 20 more.

Although (aside from the Rand Paul wing of the Republican party) our social institutions may not yet realize it, formerly illicit drug use in America has been legalized. We are now in a slowly unfolding process of figuring out how to use drugs sensibly. This is Phase II of Drug Use in America (it is actually Phase III--since we first had to make drugs illegal in the early part of the twentieth century--but let's skip that story for now).


We can now turn our attention to the next three issues in integrating drug use into society:

1. How will kids learn to use drugs? If you smoke marijuana and have kids, what then? Or, put another way, how will all of the drug ed lectures start now that they can't begin: "It doesn't matter what you think about using pot--it's illegal." We have to realize that we are preparing our children for a world in which they may--and probably will--use those drugs. Of course, we already knew that was true--certainly in terms of their drinking alcohol--and we still ignored the issue. Only now it is out in the open with respect to marijuana as well as alcohol. Is it too much to hope that we can do a better job?

2. The therapeutic-police state.  Drug courts (lobbying as the National Association of Drug Court Professionals) are all the craze, what with television star Matthew Perry appearing on liberal media and before Congress saying how they saved his life. (Here is the jaundiced British view of the Perry phenomenon--Europeans just don't get recovery!) When drug use is illegal, drug courts force you into recovery-type treatment as an alternative to prison. And if you test positive--boom, you're in jail. Harm reduction? What's that?  We'll need to know in order to proceed without the threat of incarceration for drug use.

3. The addicted versus the liberated self. Now that we can use drugs legally, what about all of the forces in society telling us we are more and more susceptible to mental disorders and drug addiction, insidious diseases that grow within us? There are two warring paradigms of the self: "I am a powerless victim of an emotional disorder/addiction." "I am a free agent who can use drugs as I choose." Of course, the resolution may be, "Hallelujah, I can take drugs and drink all night, then meds all day." (i.e., "Drugs 'R' Us").  But we need to strive for better personal and social positions on drugs than that.

In any case, let's be clear: we are in the next phase of society's relationship with drugs.

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Thursday, August 29, 2013

celebrity update


Latest celebrity substance abuse news
from about.com/alcoholism;

David Cassidy Faces Another DUI
Former "The Partridge Family" star David Cassidy is facing drunken driving charges in Schodack, New York. The former teen idol, now age 63, was given a sobriety test after failing to dim his lights at a police checkpoint. His blood-alcohol level was 0.10.

Lindsay Lohan Admits She's a Addict
In a televised interview, actress Lindsay Lohan admitted lying in the past about her cocaine use. Lohan said she snorted, but never injected cocaine. She also admitted that she was an addict, but alcohol was her drug of choice.

DMX Arrested for Marijuana Possession
Earl Simmons, who is more widely known as the rapper DMX, is in trouble with the law again. Police found several bags of marijuana in a vehicle in which he was a passenger after it made a U-turn. As he was being taken to a South Carolina jail, DMX claimed he was being set up.

Omar Gooding Arrested for DUI
Former "Wild & Crazy Kids" star Omar Gooding has been arrested on suspicion of drunk driving. The younger brother of Cuba Gooding and former Nickelodeon child star, Omar was arrested in Los Angeles and released hours later on his own recognizance.

Von Miller Suspended 6 Games
The NFL has suspended Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller for the first six games of the 2013 season for violation of the league's substance-abuse policy. The league originally wanted an eight-game suspension for the 2012 Defensive Player of the Year runner-up.

Jay Ratliff DWI Case Postponed
The judge must be a Cowboys fan. Jay Ratliff was due to face charges this week for his January 22 drunk driving arrest after he collided with an 18-wheeler and crashed into a guardrail with a blood-alcohol level of 0.16. But the judge postponed the hearing until February 2014, after the football season.

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Sunday, August 25, 2013

Monday quotes



 Marriage is a relationship in which one person is always right and the other is the husband. — Unknown

 Since we are destined to live out our lives in the prison of our minds, our one duty is to furnish it well. — Peter Ustinov (1921-2004)

 All religions are the same: religion is basically guilt, with different holidays. — Cathy Ladman

 A consensus means that everyone agrees to say collectively what no one believes individually. — Abba Eban (1915-2002)

  No drug, not even alcohol, causes the fundamental ills of society. If we're looking for the source of our troubles, we shouldn't test people for drugs, we should test them for stupidity, ignorance, greed and love of power. — P.J. O'Rourke (1947- )
 
  Unless a good deed is voluntary, it has no moral significance. — Everett Dean Martin (1880-1941)
 
  The tragedy of life is what dies inside a man while he lives. — Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965)
 
   The worst disability is a bad attitude. — Michael Muir (1953- )
 
   Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does. — William James (1842-1910)
 
   A reputation once broken may possibly be repaired, but the world will always keep their eyes on the spot where the crack was. — Joseph Hall (1574-1656)
 
    The greatest joys are those that are shared. — Leon Fleisher (1928- )

I am careful not to confuse excellence with perfection. Excellence I can reach for. Perfection is God's business. — Michael J. Fox (1961- )

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Monday, August 19, 2013

Monday quotes



Don't let anyone steal your Dreams. Follow your heart, no matter what.
- Jack Cainfield

We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.
- Joseph Campbell

Star Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow. Don't walk behind me, I may not lead. Just walk beside me and be my friend.
- Albert Camus

Slow down and enjoy life. It's not only the scenery you miss by going too fast - you also miss the sense of where you are going and why.
- Eddie Cantor

Star Never mistake knowledge for wisdom. One helps you make a living, the other helps you make a life.
- Sandra Carey

You are successful the moment you start moving toward a worthwhile goal.
- Charles Carlson

The capacity to care is the thing which gives life its deepest meaning and significance.
- Pablo Casals

There are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm.
- Willa Cather

Star The most wasted of all days is that on which one has not laughed.
- Nicolas Chamfort

Be ready when opportunity comes. Luck is the time when preparation and opportunity meet.
- Roy D. Chapin Jr.


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Sunday, August 11, 2013

Monday quotes


Reality is the leading cause of stress -- for those in touch with it.
- Jane Wagner

A true leader is not the one with the most followers, but one who creates the most leaders.
- Neale Donald Walsch

Flatter me, and I may not believe you.
Criticize me, and I may not like you.
Ignore me, and I may not forgive you.
Encourage me, and I may not forget you.
- William Arthur Ward

Success is not measured by th position one has reached in life, rather by the obstacles overcome while trying to succeed.
- Booker T. Washington

Luck is when opportunity meets preparation.
- Denzel Washington

To live with fear and not be afraid is the final test of maturity.
- Edward Weeks

The crisis of today is the joke of tomorrow.
- H. G. Wells

There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.
- Edith Wharton

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Wednesday, August 7, 2013

latest celebrity updates

Lindsay Lohan Leaves Rehab
"The Canyons" actress Lindsay Lohan has completed her court-ordered 90-day alcohol and drug rehab program and by all accounts is doing much better all around. She has already appeared on a television talk show cracking jokes about her court-ordered "vacation."

Justin Bieber's Tour Bus Busted for Pot
The singer was not on board when U.S. Border Agents searched Justin Bieber's tour bus at the Detroit-Windsor, Canada border crossing. The agents' dog sniffed out a small amount of marijuana and some drug paraphernalia and wrote the driver a citation.

Amanda Bynes Has Spent $1.2 Million
In seeking temporary conservatorship over their daughter, the parents of Amanda Bynes claimed in court papers that she has been using drugs, is paranoid and has spent $1.2 million in a few short months. Bynes has been forcibly hospitalized and reportedly responding well to her new medications.

DMX Arrested for DUI Again
The legal troubles continue for rapper DMX, also known as Earl Simmons, who doesn't let not having a driver's license keep him from getting DUIs. The rap star was arrested in South Carolina and charged with driving under the influence and driving without a license. DMX reportedly passed out in the back of the police car he was so intoxicated.

Avatar's Wes Studi Charged With DWI
Police had an idea something was wrong when they encountered actor West Studi on a highway in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The "Avatar" and "Street Fighter" actor was trying to fix two front flat tires on his Volvo in the middle of the road with his lights off.

Rapper Kat Dahlia Arrested for DUI
Katriana Huguet, who is better known as rap artist Kat Dahlia, was arrested from drunk driving in Miami Beach the day after

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