Drugs are not going anywhere

I'm sorry, that is a load of crap. My brother became addicted to drugs while in a regulated environment. He was in the hospital for pneumonia and after a whole summer  being injected with morphine they just released him. Now, I know that morphine and heroin are a little different here, but anyone can see where the connection is as  well.

The 'product' as you put it was beyond tainted... it was poisoned. He was not the first victim of this batch and he was not the last. The people that sold it to him had to be aware that what they sold was bad stuff. The amount of people that have died from this batch in my county is HUGE!

Also, let me get this straight... you think that heroin should be an OTC drug? Of all the ridiculous things I have heard, that has got to be the  worst!

Nobody has a right to tell me what I can and can't put in my body.

The 'product' was tainted because, being illegal, there is no way to regulate its makeup or potency. Had it been legal, the people that sold it to him would have had greater incentive to see that, as dangerous a drug as it is, it was as safe as it could be.

Also, let me help you get this straight: all substances should be OTC so that their manufacture and sale can be more closely monitored and regulated. All people own their bodies have a right to determine the course of medical treatment, including the decision of what substances to put into their bodies.

Thanks for commenting on my article. In the future I hope instead of just calling what I say 'ridiculous' that you could present a well-deliberated counter-argument. If you then can think of nothing but to name-call might I suggest that it's a good time to rethink your position?

And perhaps you will not enter an article trying to make people think that poisioning their bodies is something that should be condoned into a group that obviously created to stamp out a horrible epidemic sweeping our nation right now. If you knew anything about the history of drugs you would not make such a flippant statement as you have made. I have researched the topic myself because not only have I just faced the death of my brother from a drug overdose, but I also have several other siblings hopelessly addicted to these drugs. The problem is not in the fact that these drugs are illegal, but in the fact that they were once very legal. Substances like heroin and Meth were cooked up in a lab somewhere, where an arrogant scientist thought he could create a better cure with chemicals that nature creates and provides for us. These products were marketed on the shelves as OTC medications. Heroin was sold right next to Aspiren... and was sold by Bayers! It was later noted that people were getting very addicted to this OTC medication and it was taken off the shelves. Meth was a substance created to help people who worked long hours stay awake. This too had to be ripped from the shelves due to addiction problems. More recently has been the Sudofed, which we know has SOME benifits when we have a cold, but it is the misuse of this product that sent in behind the counter and in some places it is required a prescription to get it even then. So, I suggest that you #1 do a little more research about something instead of toting your opinions as fact. #2 Don't post a PRO drug article in a group dedicated to to the ANTI drug movement. Just a little bit of commonsense for you.

I have to say that I am offended that you have mislabeled my article as pro-drug!

I am not pro-drug or anti-drug. I am pro-freedom and pro-people being able to decide for themselves what is right for themselves.

Yes, many people abuse drugs and wreck their lives with it. Let's grow up as a species and take personal responsibility for our misuse of a tool instead of blaming inanimate substances.

Let's educate people on the devastating consequences that using cocaine, heroin, or even nicotine and caffeine can have.

But let's not throw people in jail for merely choosing to use those substances.

The drug war is a failure. Your very own words confirm this in your previous post when you say you have "several other siblings hopelessly addicted to these drugs."

That is all I'm saying. Please read my postings more carefully before you respond to prevent grossly mischaracterizing them.