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Comment by GoToRO | Hacker News Reader

When you do drugs with your own body, do you also drive and create accidents, forcing other on what to do with their bodies (go to hospital, cemetery)?

Right now in my country this is the situation with the rise of drugs use.

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But that’s resolvable under other standard frameworks, specifically those covering mental impairment. You can make drinking legal, while still making drunk driving or public nuisance punishable.

That's not a problem with drugs. That's a problem of irresponsible behavior.

Yes, and X% of drug use is going to be "irresponsible". The societal burden doesn't change from phrasing.

I agree with you. I don't agree with the tone of the parent commenter that implied that people who try to solve the problems of drugs use, somehow try to impose on others what to do with their body.

By definition making it illegal to ingest a given substance is imposing what someone can or cannot do with their body. It is a different conversation entirely than solving the problems with drug use which for the most part comes down to education and fixing broader societal issues that lead to people seeking out hard drugs in the first place. Opiate addiction is a scourge on our society and despite the seeming failures of some recent decriminalization efforts I truly dont believe continued violence and repression is the answer. I believe my stance is supported by the failure of the "war on drugs" to curb the problem despite immense resources being dedicated to it.

Then let's ban cars.

I agree.

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