Because–according to recent medical research–not only does Marijuana’s heavy use, especially by teenagers–result in a permanent decrease in intelligence, the loss of I.Q., plus these users exhibiting the symptoms of “neuro-psychological decline,” but for users of today’s especially high potency varieties, heavy Marijuana use leads to a much greater risk of psychosis, and its accelerated onset as well.

Even worse, Marijuana is also a ‘gateway drug,” which leads many who use it on to even more addictive, more powerful, and dangerous drugs.

Why, then, would you ever want to add Marijuana to the already far too long list of addictive substances, that lead to horrendous consequences for their addicted users, for their families, friends, and for society at large?

It isn’t fair, because he was so young when it started and had horrible things in his life to cope with; it feels like his choice was stripped away from him the moment he took his first dose of whatever that first drug was. I’m angry with him in the present day for all the things he’s done to the rest of my family and the self-serving choices he’s made, but when I think of how it all started, I’m left to wonder how much choice his original self has had, and how much has been addiction twisting his brain beyond all recognition since he was a child.

I used to feel mostly disgusted when seeing people who were obviously heavy users–dirty, twitchy, sleazy, and incoherent. Now I have a hard time not crying, because I don’t know who they were or could have been, or who loves them, or what choices they had or didn’t have. I’ve done many stupid things in my life; I’m so lucky that taking “just one” hit of something wasn’t one of them. I’m so lucky that my life has been good enough that drugs were never an attractive option I had to steel myself against, and that I’ve never needed heavy painkillers to function.

Our opioid crisis is sickening. I can’t fathom how many families have been destroyed right along with the lives of those eighty-thousand-some homeless addicts that are cited in that article. Most of them are probably the walking dead–we can (and should) try to help them if possible, but by and large they don’t want to be helped. Their brains and bodies won’t let them put anything above their next fix; it’s an eventual death sentence, and it’s deeply horrifying.

Epigenetics

The astronomical chart of a person is also involved as the celestial energies impact a person’s fate, although not without free will.

Some of us are Sons of God. A slightly different species pov there.

Haidt and company researched the foundations of the moral mind, and they found that kindness and fairness were the universal constants across the globe.

Humans trying to resurrect what they lost from the divorce with the Creator and thus all of Creation itself.

Society used to have religious values that opposed this idea and reminded everyone how fragile life was. But religion is in decline.

State religion being in decline is a good thing for human progress. Less pastors buying sports cars with the donations they squeezed out of the flock/sheep. Less Vatican inquisitions, burning people alive, and homosexual clerics/rapists/child molestors.

Society did indeed have religion to control the excesses of human vices but that was not nearly full proof enough to deal with the human condition. Because who administrated the punishments and collected the debts? Other humans. It was no such thing as a “divine organization” at work.

Certainly individuals like Jesus existed, but why his apostles and disciples made him out to be a god to be worshipped and a religion crafted around him, did his message a disservice. Buddha went around and told everyone not to make his image into an idol to be worshipped, because that was pointless and harmful. His students were so scared or respectful of that, for 150 years the ban held. Until humans decided otherwise.

Here’s a clue, suicide won’t get you out of this cycle of suffering. It just repeats ; )

I don’t know how you would pass laws which do not violate the constitutional rule laid down by the Court. I’m not sure that having a rigorous commitment hearing to prove that the person was not being put away for a nefarious purpose, or that showing that the result of those earlier decisions has produced the social disorder of today would do the trick. Otherwise, a constitutional amendment would be necessary. Good luck with that.

I personally, being a great believer in multiculturalism, think we should learn from our Chinese brethren that reeducation camps are an ideal solution for those suffering from drug or alcohol addiction or unwillingness to take their meds. And for those few who could not be helped by reeducation, we should follow the example of our Russian brethren — healthy outdoor work on a low-calorie diet would be just the thing!

Somehow, though, I don’t think the Supremes would go for that. So we are left with the words of Anatole France: ““The law, in its majestic equality, forbids rich and poor alike to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal their bread.”

The fundamental pillars of human morality are kindness and fairness. We’re all mammals. We have built-in neurological systems to help us bond with each other to form groups. And we understand the concept of fairness so that we can engage in reciprocal acts of kindness. Haidt and company researched the foundations of the moral mind, and they found that kindness and fairness were the universal constants across the globe. The Golden Rule, a form of which exists in almost every religion on planet earth, incorporates these values. Animal behaviorists like Franz de Waal have found that kindness and fairness aren’t just universal human values, they are found in social primates like capuchin monkeys. It’s not surprising: without kindness and fairness, social structures break down.

Our society is not very kind these days. One reason for that is that many people fail to realize that their success in life isn’t just due to their intellect, hard work, and morality: luck is also involved. The result is that those at the top can feel morally superior to those below them: “I deserve my success, just as those poor wretches deserve their squalor.” Society used to have religious values that opposed this idea and reminded everyone how fragile life was. But religion is in decline.

We can, as human beings, make life better. As I said above, it’s difficult to treat psychological conditions because we don’t know enough. And it’s difficult to treat substance abuse because we don’t know enough. Clearly there’s another reason: we don’t care enough.

There are people who are suffering, people who are not at fault, people who are suffering and not at fault. Alcoholics and drug addicts are in category A. You can debate how severe is there culpability on a certain scale, but culpable they are.

I think that “Ha ha ha” is more than a bit callous.

And I think it was Erma Bombeck who said, “You can’t make it better, you laugh at it”.

And, my real point, was that it’s tough: we don’t know enough.