While I think there are many compelling arguments not to do drugs, from the health risks and the cost of that to the NHS, along with domestic rises in crime, prostitution etc. I have always tended to find the most convincing arguments to be the effect the drug industry has had on the producing, often developing nations. An article on the BBC News website outlines some of the devastating effects that Cocaine has had on Colombia, with Calderon Colombias VP putting it simply, “If you snort a gram of cocaine you are destroying four square metres of pristine rainforest.”
A reason I think this argument tends to be more effective is that from my experience from friends growing up their justification seemed to concentrate around the ‘i’m only harming myself’ or ‘they aren’t as dangerous as the government says’. I also tend to find that those who argue vehemently against the corruption of multinational companies and persecution in sweat shops will not see the blatantly hypocrisy of then going for a line.
Overall though the drugs debate is difficult between those you know as there’s always the risk of losing them as friends if you argue and losing them as friends if you don’t. While clearly it is not a simple good, bad, black, white debate, I still think I agree with Mr Mackay, ‘drugs are bad m’kay’.
