The verdict on the consumption of anything that alters our natural biological state has not been (nor may it ever be) in. The push and pull of what is legally allowed to be consumed is as dramatic and confounding as bad reality T.V.. You can find fact and opinion across the entire spectrum of what “good” or “bad” drugs are. The National Institutes of Health claims, “many drugs can alter a person’s thinking and judgment, and can lead to health risks, including addiction, drugged driving, infectious disease, and adverse effects on pregnancy.” From what I can tell in a glance, they offer a pretty exhaustive list of information on commonly used drugs with the potential for misuse or addiction which you can find here Links to an external site.. Marijuana use is still illegal on the federal level, but the national government has yet to flex its supremacy rights on states that are increasingly legalizing and decriminalizing it at different capacities. There is buzz about the new approaches to the coming legalizations around medical use of psilocybin (i.e., magic mushrooms or “shrooms”).

Apply the same methods of Discussions 1 and 2, here. What do you think laws regarding drug use should be? Should there even be any? What drugs are “bad?” What drugs are “good?” Which should be legal? Is it fair that U.S. citizens’ rights and access to certain drugs differ depending on where they reside? What if a prescribed drug is illegal in a state you’re traveling to? Are legal drugs (e.g., alcohol, tobacco, etc.) inherently safer or better than illegal drugs (e.g., MDMA, cocaine, etc.)? What about drugs that are legal for some but not all (e.g., Adderall, steroids, opioids, etc.)? What about legal drugs that are abused (e.g., dextromethorphan (cough suppressant), loperamide (anti-diarrhea), etc.)? Should people be free to do as they please with their bodies? If not, how and when should others step-in?