Demonizing of Private Pot Use Shows Ugly Side of American Conservatism The late '60s and early '70s were my graduate school days, at UC Santa Barbara, and there was then plenty of pot smoking going on. Some of it was reckless, just as alcohol consumption or gambling or other peaceful conduct can be quite reckless, but most of it was merely a bit mind-numbing and consciousness-altering. Many, many young people got high, yet few if any suffered greatly, certainly not by moving on to hard drugs. At least no more so than the number of moderate wine consumers who move on to become alcoholics. [continues 540 words]
There are many issues about which it is important to do a lot of thinking - the distinctions are murky and the policies ambiguous, so it takes a lot of figuring to get it right. Just how far should the military go in its efforts to defend the country? Should 14-year-old kids be prosecuted as adults for grave crimes? Is abortion a rights violation or would its prohibition be? Does the Second Amendment's reference to "people" mean individuals or groups? [continues 827 words]
There are many issues about which it is important to do a lot of thinking - the distinctions are murky and the policies ambiguous, so it takes a lot of figuring to get it right. Just how far should the military go in its efforts to defend the country? Should 14-year-old kids be prosecuted as adults for grave crimes? Is abortion a rights violation or would its prohibition be? Does the Second Amendment's reference to "people" mean individuals or groups? [continues 826 words]
