As a long time on-and-off meth addict and dealer, I'll tell you one thing:
Helluva drug!
Not convinced I'd want society to have unrestricted access to that one.
Helluva drug!
Not convinced I'd want society to have unrestricted access to that one.
Edit: Actually, the progression in the US military was amphetamine to dextroamphetamine, and now also modafinil.
Higher doses do further reduce the need for sleep, however. And while they don't put me on edge, they do increase the risk of saying and doing risky things. But maybe that's because I'm bipolar.
A significant portion of the population consumes amphetamines on a daily basis and manages not to go on crime sprees. Perhaps it isn't the drugs which are the problem?
Edit: Dosage and route both matter a lot.
My point here is that many drugs have been demonized to a wholly unscientific degree and I often witness otherwise well educated and thoughtful people zealously perpetuating such myths without stopping to really think them through. IMO blaming bad behavior and even addiction on drugs is an easy out which avoids addressing the much more complicated underlying issues. Overdoses, abuse, addiction, and crime seem to me to be largely to blame on other systemic societal problems. As always, correlation does not imply causality.
Indeed, some drugs are so demonized that many who use them do get swallowed whole. Because it's what they expect, and part of the motivation.
A significant portion of the population is on restricted / controlled / monitored dosage / supply.
Compare my point about unrestricted access.
I'm pointing out that it's absurd to attribute problematic behaviors to the mere consumption of drugs. We severely restrict freedoms in the name of a battle against symptoms rather than address underlying causes. Worse is that our waging of the battle itself is a vicious cycle, serving only to worsen the very same symptoms that it supposedly seeks to address.