Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login

How do you justify your bias toward specific drugs? Why should alcohol and oxycontin be legal and cocaine illegal?

What gives society the right to choose for me what I may consume for myself?




I used to live in the US, now I live in Europe and I can see what you mean.

However I can argue that we should think twice before to make legal something that get you addicted with the first dose and mess up with your brain in a so heavy way.

(Yes I do know about alcohol but it is a cultural and, by the way, different issue)


Yeah, alcohol is a different issue. In that trying to quit alcohol can actually kill you. Trying to quit cold turkey can put you in a hospital where they will start administering alcohol through an IV to save your life.

Comparing alcohol and cocaine is absurd, alcohol by any reasonable measure is just about one of the hardest drugs there is, and causes massively more societal harm than cocaine.

But we are supposed to make it a special exception because it's old? All that really amounts to is "Lets ban this because people who seem alien to me use it, but lets keep this other thing legal because 'normal' people use it." It is a xenophobic argument.




Consider applying for YC's W25 batch! Applications are open till Nov 12.

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: