douche wrote: ↑Tue Apr 04, 2023 6:14 pm
Couldn't it just as easily go the other way? More freedom = more junkies and more homeless. Can people be trusted to govern themselves?
No, it can't go the other way. Human nature is human nature, and nothing changes when you call it "government". If you don't trust the average person to be honest and spend their money wisely, then why do you trust the government?
It should be the exact opposite. If you don't trust people, then make sure there is no "government". Evil, greed, and envy will always seek out the power of "government". Bad actors in society can only cause so much damage by themselves. But, if you allow them to use the power of government, then they can wreak havoc on a massive scale. And, they do. Basically all of the problems in society are legislated into existence. This is why the more government you can eliminate, the less problems you will see in terms of war, poverty, drug abuse, etc.
douche wrote: ↑Tue Apr 04, 2023 6:14 pm
What are the systemic root causes of drug abuse? I think most people are trying to escape. From something. Different for everyone... escape from responsibilities, escape from abuse, etc. And some people simply have addictive personalities. So long as drugs are available, there will be people around to consume/abuse them.
The root cause of almost every problem in society is government and central banks.
I agree that it's not really possible to eliminate all drug use. Drugs exist, and human nature is human nature. But, the more love and opportunity in the world, then the less negativity there will be. I personally am more into the philosophy than the activism. I don't really care about changing the world. I also think there might be supernatural forces behind it all anyway, so you can't really change the balance of good and evil.
douche wrote: ↑Tue Apr 04, 2023 6:14 pm
Unless people can get a handle on their individual lives, nothing changes. Regardless of level of freedom. Or drug use.
Government and central banks make it very difficult for anyone to get a handle on their individual lives. The scale of the extortion is so massive.
douche wrote: ↑Tue Apr 04, 2023 6:14 pm
If there were no laws (and thus, plenty of freedom), would people drink and drive more? Or less?
Would they consume more drugs? Or fewer drugs?
There is always natural law. The point is that selling and consuming drugs is non aggressive behavior.
Historically prohibition or legalization does little to change demand. But, even if you're able to change behavior in a way that you think is good, it still doesn't justify using immoral means. Theft is an actual crime, but even with theft most would agree that chopping off someone's hand for petty theft is immoral. It would definitely reduce crime, but the punishment is too extreme. With a drug transaction, there is not even a crime being committed between the consenting parties, so any amount of punishment is immoral. On top of that, you might "reduce drug use", but you've cost the taxpayers infinitely more money to fund the war on drugs and incarcerate all of the non-violent offenders.