Faces of Meth

Originally posted by Skyfloating
What upsets me almost as much as the state of meth-users are the apologists who claim that news articles like the one shown are "Government Propaganda" and "scare tactics by TPTB". It upsets me because I know that to be untrue as far as meth is concerned.

I am NOT advocating the use of meth, I think it is a terrible idea to take such a potent substance. However, I do think these campaigns are largely propaganda. That's not to say I disagree with their message or method of communicating that message. I do however think they are giving the chemical too much credit for the problems the users of the drug create.

It is propaganda. Today's anti-drug messages are that doing meth EVEN ONCE WILL DESTROY YOUR LIFE.

In most people's experiences, that is untrue. I worry though that by attaching such a strong negative stigma to the substance that after a person uses the drug they may be more likely to enter a shame spiral so-to-speak, making them more susceptible to abusing chemicals... but I digress.

If someone has pure methamphetamine, and takes a dose appropriate for their body, the chance of harm is pretty low. Afterall, our lovely FDA has approved the drug for use in treating ADD and several other conditions. It is more common to prescribe other stimulants, but as far as I know, they are all chemically related and produce similar effects in the body.

Why don't the people prescribed these stimulants make the transformation in to a disgusting meth head like creature?

It is because they are using a reasonable dose.

The problems of psychosis, "meth mouth", and turning in to a Skeletor lookalike arise from abusing the substance.

Psychosis is most likely to kick in after being awake for several days or weeks. Meth mouth is caused by the cotton mouth brought on by a stimulant, poor hygiene and typically sugary junk food diet of the meth abuser.

Not that it matters, but I have never used meth, "not even once".

Originally posted by JohnnyTHSeed
In most people's experiences, that is untrue. I worry though that by attaching such a strong negative stigma to the substance that after a person uses the drug they may be more likely to enter a shame spiral so-to-speak, making them more susceptible to abusing chemicals... but I digress.

This I understand. In all drugs there is one side that demonizes them and another side that glorifies them. The extreme schism is probably not healthy, psychologically speaking...

The title of the article: Face it ... the drugs don't work , is seriously inaccurate.

The fact is, drugs DO work.
Which is why so many people are, and have always been, using them.

They are a solution for those serious addicts wanting to escape from the misery of their painful lives, and until we attack the "causes and conditions" that help foster these severe drug addictions, or address our own lack of empathy, nothing is going to stop the omnipresent drug use in America.

You're never going to "scare" people out of using drugs by presenting pictures of long-term addicts, because the average individual or "new user", won't readily identify with those broken down mugshots and will simply be too removed. They start out believing that they are in control, and could never end up like those "losers". They will convince themselves that this is the truth because they need the "escapism" that drugs provide from their past, present, or possible future.

They won't realize that they will become those same broken down human beings until they become them.

Our approach to the "war on drugs" has really been a major farce, with media footage of arrests and a few political sound bytes.

Going into ghettos or other seedy areas and arresting people we suspect, set-up, or find using drugs isn't doing a thing, and our government knows this. Barring the fact that you'd find just as many users in the suburbs, that get a free pass because no one is constantly raiding them, locking up addicts doesn't change the problems that helped create the addiction.

If anything, it could even add to it, being that prisons really aren't the symbols of rehabilitation they are passed off as, with most of those arrested having to join gangs, or end up learning how to become better criminals, just to survive in the general population "relatively" unscathed. They ultimately need treatment and therapy to deal with the demons pushing them to the edge of existence.

We're never going to arrest enough, or kill enough, to end the problem of hardcore drugs.

The people in Mexico recently celebrating a victory over the death of a major drug leader known as "the Condor", are fooling themselves if they don't believe that the power vacuum he left open won't be filled by weeks end.

That isn't the solution.
The solution is simple yet practically impossible.

We have to care.

We have to care about our citizens, our neighbors, our fellow man. Whether we are related or can't relate to them. It has to matter that they are in dire situations. We have to care about those kids living in a terrible situation that will be our future drug addicts, sellers, or worse.

I know the reaction to such a "liberal" solution is usually a cold dismissive statement that equates to simply saying they should "pull your own bootstraps up" or "it's not my problem their parents are bums, they made their choices", or even the "every man for himself" approach we see parroted by popular media personalities, but until we do care anyway...NOTHING will change.

We have to realize that their desperate lives will always and inevitably affect our own, in one way or another. Whether criminally or otherwise, our paths will meet, and in the end there is no way to avoid that human connection.

The way we are going now, we'll just be arresting and locking up addicts in the year 3011, and the problem will either be the same as it is today or much worse.

- Lee

If the government wants their warnings about the dangers of meth taken seriously they should lying about all the safe drugs.

Also, for many meth addicts, I'm sure if they could have afforded, had access to and were knowledgeable about cleaner and safer drugs, trying meth would be a lot further down the list. (Thanks war on drugs!)

Originally posted by Skyfloating

What upsets me almost as much as the state of meth-users are the apologists who claim that news articles like the one shown are "Government Propaganda" and "scare tactics by TPTB". It upsets me because I know that to be untrue as far as meth is concerned. Falsehood can wreck peoples lives so I wish people would stop claiming that this particular substance is "heaven".

Can you link to something on ATS or anywhere claiming that the bad things people say about meth are just government propaganda? I personally have never seen a thread here claiming meth was actually good for you and that the government was pretending that it wasnt to deprive us of some joy.