-=> Quoting Justin Baustert to Andrew Smith <=-
 AS> Your position is hard to support.
 JB> Hardly..  Shall we start stating cases where drug-use has been
 JB> declared  "legal" and the population takes a downturn?  I might have my
 JB> time-frame a  tad off, but I recall something about China in the early
 JB> 1900's w/respect to  opium..  The end results give plenty of support
 JB> for my position.. 
 Hi Justin, I thought you had left our little group. On the subject of
 drugs, I, like you, have little love for the drug culture, but I must
 point something out. The trouble in China was not the legality, or
 illegality of the substance, but the fact that it's use was socially
 acceptable. Opium has been available for many years, but until it's
 recreational use became common, opium had little effect on the social
 fabric. Drugs such as opium, cocaine, heroin, and such become
 destructive when their use is a major part of a society's life. I
 believe that the wide spread use of recreational drugs in our country
 is more of a symptom rather than a cause of our social illness. I
 believe that the root cause of our social troubles is a general decline
 of our moral values. Well, my ride is here, gotta go earn a living!
 david.hartung@mcione.com
 Ilks of Metropolitan Walls/LENS
 Proud member of White House Enemies database
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