Well, it's not really the topic of this thread, but I've said what I think re. jurs situation, so as to my thoughts about the wider issues - how about saying 'Just Say Know' instead of 'Just Say No'.
Drugs are unavoidable, so teach kids about them. Ignorance about drugs can be more dangerous than the drugs themselves. Also simplistic black/white 'drugs are bad, m'kay, because drugs are bad, m'kay?' thinking is plain dumb.
But I can understand how jurs who wants to, as she says, have a 'leave it to beaver' family (something which means zip to a Brit but contextually I take it to be shades of the Brady Bunch), and that's her right, and if I had an alcohlic husband who started getting utterly stoned I'd be p'd off too, if I didn't realise that it might be something to wean him of alcohol on.
I know several people who had drinking problems who smoke pot but are now 'normal' drinkers, having identified the negative nature of their personality when they were drinking. One of them is my best mate in the world. He however wasn't an 'alcoholic'.
However, the 'once you're an alcoholic you have to quit and never touch alcohol again' opinion held by many in the USA and indeed the UK (whilst it works for many) is perhaps a simplification; I think many European's think differently. My girlfriend's father was an alcoholic for a number of years, and has got it under control and can drink 'socially'.
Of course, this opens debate on whether he WAS an alcoholic, which highlights my point; alcoholic is a label, and can be mis-applied, or used with or without the general 'I have an addictive personality' mantra for abdegating personal responsibility.
Having said this, I personally feel pot is way more addictive <<for me>> than many give it credit for, but it's purely psychological - if it's not there, I don't jones or anything. I can go away on holiday for three weeks and not miss it.
However, if I have a bag of weed I smoke it. And I make sure I normally have a bag of weed. Is that poor self control, addiction, or just really liking it? I should mention, I have a job, have been promoted twice this year, blah, blah, blah.
If a substance is taken FOR pleasure, then you're being human. If a drug is taken AS pleasure, you run risks. If the consumption of a drug degrades your ability to function in society, relationships, the workplace, you are paying a heavy price for fun. If you take drugs for pleasure, and are fully functional in your life, whose business is it what you do?
Even if you are taking drugs as pleasure and are functionally impaired, to paraphrase Jesus, "The losers will always be with us".
What we need is a legislative framework that helps them rather than locking up over a million people in the USA for non-violent drug 'crime'; i.e., crimes of possesion.
