The Sad Essence of Drug Prohibition: The War on Fun

Posted by Jan Frel, AlterNet at 5:31 PM on October 2, 2008.

Don't worry, said the Canadian law enforcer to the Vermont Agricultural Committee about the possible dangers of allowing people have legal access to hemp: "You'd have to smoke 400 pounds of it to even get a smile on your face."

That's the whole concern -- that's why the Ag Committee got together, why the Canadian guy made the trip to talk to the Committee; to say that smoking hemp is not an easy path to fun. Of course it's easy to point out that this concern is a rather scary one for a society to have. But it's true. It's a war on fun -- Mark Ames:

"If everyone would admit that people do drugs because they're fun, then suddenly, the whole 30-year war on drugs thing would seem savage and bizarre: the war on fun. Which is exactly what it is. Drugs are also incredibly practical. They can help you get through rough times. They can numb you to horrible circumstances. They can improve your social skills. Or they can increase your work efficiency."