h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

interesting article not sure how I stand on the subject
however I did notice one typo
in the paragraph on drugs should be "associated"

Problem corrected. Thanks. Ever notice how difficult it is to spot the errors in your own writing?

As for the drug issue, it has been my personal and impersonal observation that the more people know about them, the more they favor decriminalization. Especially marijuana. No one has ever died of a marijuana overdose... in fact, it is less harmful than alcohol, which is legal. Then when you realize that we can make paper and all sorts of other things with hemp (which is not exactly marijuana, but governments are too stupid to make the distinction) fibers, it becomes insane not to legalize it. Why kill a forest of trees for computer paper when we can get more paper per acre from a crop of hemp? Then you factor in the social side... people buy marijuana from a drug dealer. He doesn't make much money off of marijuana, and marijuana isn't all that addictive, so he needs to get you hooked on something that'll get you coming back regularly, buying a product with a higher profit margin. Weed requires a lot of resources to maintain, but a junior chemistry kit is all that is required for crystal meth, crack, or cocaine. Legalize marijuana, and you'll put his lazy ass out of business.

Agreed. The only parallel that I can draw is Prohibition. Crime rose 30% (or more) during those years, jails were full, and ordinary people were commiting the crime of drinking. I say, legalize it, and put all of these criminals out of business. (An interesting statistic: 54% of all deaths in LA last year were either murder or suicide. Wonder how many of those were related to drug use?)