War On The Wounded –

March 3, 2020 – The Controlled Substance Act distinguished five different “schedules” for drugs to huddle underneath. Ignorance was on full display: schedule one drugs — the most “dangerous” — included marijuana, LSD, ecstasy, and heroin. Marijuana is still categorized as more dangerous than methamphetamine.

The war on drugs is a misguided bureaucratic failure that added restrictions to a fundamental right: the ability to explore the depths of one’s mind. Jailing individuals for the “crime” of ingesting nonlife-threatening drugs is a moral failing.

Given hallucinogens are perception-altering substances, their illegality is naturally totalitarian. Society is currently punishing people for thought crime. Given the taboo and restrictions, current scientific testing in psychedelics is elementary (yet very promising). A study at Johns Hopkins University found healthy amounts of psilocybin helped people quit smoking.

There is a strong case to be made to limit the consumption and distribution of life threatening substances such as cocaine and fentanyl. For instance, it ought not to be the case that taking heroin and eating marijuana edibles be held to the same moral standard.

@DailyIowan