Yep, drugs. Let's talk about them.

Points of Discussion:
*Legality: Should mind-altering substances be legal? All, some, or none? What about substances that are legal, but potentially harmful? Where do we draw the lines of legality?
*Intellectual Value: Some could say that the drug culture has effectually built modern pop culture. From the Beatles to Snoop Dogg, a ridiculously large segment of the best music in the world has been written by and for people doing drugs. Beyond that, intellectuals from Carl Sagan to Paul Erdos have used drugs to contribute greatly to the fields of physics and mathematics. Are the legacies of drug use--from the scientific to the artistic--a good or a bad thing?
*Utility: Do the upsides of the effects of drugs outweigh the downsides, or not, in your opinion? Is, "Because it's fun," a good argument for recreational usage? What about in medicine?


Food for thought: I'd like to present an idea here, and it may take a few clarifications, but, what I'd like to put forth is the thought that nearly every state of mind that isn't a grounded, neutral, "I am alive" state of mind is caused by drugs. Some of these drugs are endogenous--dopamine, serotonin, adrenaline and endorphins--and some of them are exogenous--NSAIDS, cannabinoids, psychedelics, opiods, stimulants and depressants--but regardless, all states of mind are caused by some chemical reacting with your body. In light of that, why do we consider some chemicals to be okay, but others not to be? And this doesn't just spread to the exogenous drugs--we look at self-styled "adrenaline junkies" and make judgments, and god forbid anyone enjoy sex and let the Puritans find out about it. Why is this?

The argument can be made that oftentimes exogenous drugs are unnatural, but I don't think that goes far enough to cover our prejudices to the effects of psychoactive chemicals from within and without.

Anyway, weigh in, ladies and gentlemen. What does Why Not think about the subject.