Hm…I wanted a catchy title, but a more apt one would probably be: Some Drugs are Okay. 

Since writing my last post about, I feel a responsibility to address drug education in this country and how it is extremely lacking in depth and nuance.

Remember when they told you in health class that drugs are bad? 

In my humble opinion, I feel that this is the wrong approach to addiction education. Welcome to your own personal episode of health class that you never asked for. Let’s begin. 

I propose that we begin by explaining just how good drugs can be. Drugs feel so damn good, so irresistible, that people often give up their entire lives for them. Also, not all drugs are created equal, some drugs are far better than others. I think it’s also important to discuss the reward versus the risk, how ultimately you might take a loss (to a varying degree: anything from a burst of emotional distress to death) if you choose to do a drug. Super harmful drugs can be a lot of fun, but nothing comes free in this world: to reach the highest of highs, you often must trade it for the most repulsive lows. 

Anyway, here’s how the curriculum is currently structured:

Teacher: SAY NO TO DRUGS.

Student: Why?

Teacher: DRUGS ARE BAD AND THEY WILL KILL YOU.

It’s like that scene in Mean Girls where the coach is like, “DON’T HAVE SEX. If you have sex, you will get pregnant AND DIE.” Let me just say, Tina Fey is a fucking genius. 

Anyway. What is missing from these curricula is the undeniable, horrifying fact that sex feels amazing and so do drugs. Sex, drugs, and rock and roll babyyyy. Ah, the staples of youth.

Also, and maybe this is just me, but the very second that a command was spoken from an authority figure’s mouth, my teenage brain automatically goes into rebellion mode and I do the exact opposite thing. So when they told me “Don’t do drugs”, I said, “Go fuck yourself” (in my head, cuz i’m a lil b**ch)! 

I wonder what might happen if the narrative was shifted: “Some drugs are okay, let’s just talk this through.” This version might incite less hormone-enraged, thoughtless rebellion, but that’s just a theory. Food for thought.

Just as we have moved on from teaching sexual abstinence to teaching safe sex, we need to move on as a society and teach safe drug use rather than abstinence. Because we live in a world where drugs are good. We grow up taking pills for pain, pills for focus, pills for endurance, syrup for coughs, shots to prevent illness. We learn that drugs are good all our lives, but then there are some forbidden ones which are claimed to be bad and should never be done. I agree, some drugs shouldn’t be done. But the root of the problem is the idiotic scheduling system in this country: the really bad drugs are lumped in with the not-so-bad drugs. And some of the worst drugs are claimed to be better than some of the better drugs! Ya feel? 

Take a look at the scheduling system to see what I mean, or see if you disagree with me, which would be cool too. 

So anyway, here’s what happens: the teacher, following the curriculum based on the drug scheduling system, says, “Here are the drugs that are bad, well uh, we have the mariju-ana plant, LSD, opiates, magic mushrooms, MDMA. We also have cocaine and amphetamines. Yup, alright-y. Those are the bad ones. Class dismissed, please turn in your assignments to the front.” 

They do however acknowledge that weed is not as bad as some other drugs by saying that it’s a “gateway” drug. This is the most ridiculous statement. So, you’re saying that if I smoke weed, I’ll end up smoking percs! Which may in fact be the case. However, the logic that the use of one drug automatically leads to the use of another is absurd. It just turns into a self-fulfilling prophecy. The kid thinks to herself: “Well sh*t, just smoked some weed and it felt pretty giggly and nice, I guess I’m through the gate and now I can try another drug because I’m already fucked, and also they said weed is bad for you but it doesn’t feel that bad… hey I wonder what else feels nice!” So a lot of us tried weed and DIDN’T die, and in the mean time, it made those teachers seem like big fat liars who were against all things fun and giggly. The trust is then broken. We wondered what other drugs they lied to us about.

Why not just say instead, hey kids, here’s the truth:

Weed has a low risk for addiction and no risk for overdose and is pleasurable and fun, while opiates have a huge risk for addiction and overdose and is extremely pleasurable and fun. You could have fun and be relatively safe with a little weed, and okay, okayyyy, maybe even a bit of psychedelics (LSD, mushrooms) but SHHH don’t tell anyone I said that part, and other drugs are really fun too but you might just die from doing them. 

Side note: the scheduling system makes no mention of Xanax until Schedule Four, by the way, which is a schedule for the drugs deemed “low risk for abuse and dependence”. Let me tell you from personal experience (which I’m sure you’re getting bored of hearing about): Xanax is addictive as shit, and the withdrawal symptoms can literally kill you. And what was one of the most popular drugs in 2016, featured in rap songs and cool music videos, and is something that we never heard of in health class? You betcha! good ol’ benzodiazepines. A side note on this side note: how do we make the distinction that methamphetamine is ridiculously bad but amphetamine salts (a very close chemical relative) are okay to give to 8 year olds for classroom management?? Also how is alcohol legal and mushrooms aren’t??? Phew, okay, jeez this blog is getting very rant-y. I swear I’ll write about things other than drugs at some point. 

And dear reader, as a disclaimer, I don’t mean to say we should encourage drug use in teenagers. I just believe that issues such as the opioid crisis are way bigger than the liability of sharing the secret that weed isn’t that bad for you. There’s got to be a better way. But then again people have a right to choose to do drugs that are harmful and why is that so bad other than the general fear of wasted life? Who gets to decide which drugs are bad anyway? Our society puts so much pressure on being productive members or society… I don’t know… drug addiction is so stigmatized. What does it mean to be stigmatized? another post for that maybe…

Also, if you think my ideas are way out of line or something doesn’t sit right about this view or you just have something to say about it, please do comment or reach out in some form. My goal here isn’t to dictate reality, it is to start important conversations and hear from diverse opinions. 

But maybe I’m just mad I slipped up and got addicted and now its not fun anymore and it’s all their fault lmao . Who knows. 

Helpful links:

Drug scheduling system: https://www.dea.gov/drug-scheduling