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So, I must say that I think I am going to have to agree with a little of everybody here! Marissa’s thoughts on drugs for therapeutic use are completely valid and I agree the most here. What is so wrong with these drugs? Such drugs as ecstasy, LSD, and magic mushrooms give you this high, this extreme euphoria. Now when I looked up the exact definition of euphoria, it was described as a feeling of intense happiness; what is wrong with feeling intense happiness? OK, so we do not generally feel intense happiness all the time, but what is wrong with wanting to? And for those who are generally, clinically depressed, what is wrong with helping them (through the use these drugs) bring themselves up to a level of happiness that is satisfactory, a level that we are usually at?

More research needs to be done with these drugs, of course, to prove efficacy, efficiency, safe dosage, etc., but with the research that we do have now, there are no long term or harsh short term effects seen with prolonged use of any of these substances.

Cigarettes are legal, alcohol is legal, and perhaps coming to a state near you, marijuana is also legal. Cannot these substances also be abused to some degree? Nicotine is highly addictive and has proven to be a direct link to various types of cancers. Alcohol abuse aids in the increasing numbers of accidents caused by D.U.I/D.W.I.’s. Marijuana is still illegal, but only if not used for medicinal use in some states such as California; but it took a lot of work for even marijuana’s positive medicinal/therapeutic use to be recognized. If we can allow strict access to marijuana for therapeutic use, then perhaps we can do the same for ecstacy, LSD, and magic mushrooms.

Finally, I leave with a question. Do you think that part of the reason why these drugs are not legal and will not be legal for a long time is because the government does not have control over their production and sales? Distribution of nicotine and alcohol is regulated, but such substances as marijuana, LSD or even ecstacy are not necessarily made in this country and thus their production is regulated elsewhere and our government is left with no control over it. Perhaps these drugs would be OK for therapeutic use if they were not already coming as illegal imports. I may be wrong, but it is just a thought. 

Jayme E. Hopkins, '08