Fun And Adventure
There are many reasons as to why people try different things in life. To experience fun and find adventure are perhaps two of the most prominent. But whatever the reason, it is all about enjoying the experience and end result is to achieve some satisfaction and to feel good. Some things we do, such as adventure sports, provide excitement and a buzz or high and this gives worth to the undertaking. Some are potentially very dangerous if not undertaken with sufficient safety in mind. However, the approach we take towards such potentially dangerous activities, is not to ban them, but to make sure we try and take a responsible approach. Even so, casualties can still arise but we do our best to make sure they are kept to a minimum.
Potentially dangerous activities all require a responsible and educated approach for anyone thinking of participating. With society's current attitude towards controlled substances this does not happen and consequently we still incur unnecessary problems. If we took the attitude that all potentially lethal or injurious exploratory and adventurous things should be banned because of potential dangers, we would have to make a number of things illegal, such as cave diving, scuba diving, sky diving, mountain climbing, hang gliding, microlight aircraft flying, motorcar racing, motorbike racing, events such as Isle of Man TT, horse riding, skiing, even swimming in the sea. In fact there are many things that we do to enjoy ourselves that can and do still cause death and injury. Even theme parks result in occasional death or serious injury. However, we do not outlaw these activities, we instead try to take a responsible approach and minimise risks.
Another activity which some people find exciting and provides a buzz but is potentially a life wrecker if not undertaken responsibly is gambling. Even though it is highly addictive to some people and can wreck lives, it is currently heavily and prolifically advertised just about everywhere and betting shops now adorn every high street in abundance. At the moment it is a legal avenue for some to take others to the cleaners. People are expected to be responsible, although not all manage to be so. The same is also true where drugs are concerned. However, because it suits some people, society currently allows gambling, and also currently allows all the advertising that goes with it. It is questionable as to whether society's current stance on gambling is morally just, but more to the point, how can we allow this kind of behaviour which wrecks lives, and yet persecute people for alternative lifestyle choices which are not so problematic, and don’t.
Some people think that the issues surrounding controlled substances are about health and well-being. Well, if we are going to make things illegal because of health and well-being we would have to include a few other things that currently cause significant health problems and put significant additional strain on the NHS...
- Cakes & sweets - cause obesity, diabetes, premature death and place enormous strain on the NHS
- Salt kills 40,000 people a year in the UK
- Sugar is eight time more addictive than cocaine and causes significant dental and general health problems
- E numbers in food, drink and sweets incite young children to play up and run up the walls giving rise to injury and ADHD
- Tobacco kills 100,000 people a year in the UK alone and puts significant strain on the NHS
- Alcohol kills 10,000 people a year in the UK and causes puts significant strain on the NHS and the emergency services
In fact, you can go on to include anything with potential risk such as crossing the road, driving cars, riding motorbikes, even cycling on the road, as well as all adventure sports. All of these ventures can be dangerous and potentially lethal and the way we handle them all is to make sure people have adequate training and equipment. We generally learn from our mistakes and we work to improve and this is what we should be doing where drugs are concerned. We will never stop people exercising their human right especially for things they believe in, so let's get real about that and instead let's make sure people are educated and have the best and most reliable equipment available. This more realistic and responsible approach will virtually eliminate fatalities and other problems we currently experience where drugs are concerned. But, society won't understand this until we act!