The purpose of commercials is to get us to buy the product advertised, or at the very least get us interesting in it. I’ve seen thousands of commercials in my lifetime and most of the time my eyes glaze over when they come on. Now I have a DVR so I hardly ever see commercials anymore. But sometimes I’ll see a commercial that causes me to hate the very characters I’m supposed to like, makes me not want to buy the product, or sends the opposite message intended. There are quite a few that fall into those categories, but here are a few of my favorites. Continue reading ‘Commercials that didn’t quite get the message across’
Archive for the 'drugs' Category
08
Apr
Why Kids Do Drugs
When I was in elementary school, during the “Just Say No” days, I remember hearing about drugs and being utterly confounded by the message. If drugs are so bad, I thought, why the heck (I didn’t say hell - it was a bad word) did so many people risk their lives just to get high? Something didn’t make sense.
In sixth grade, I was confronted with marijuana for the first time when a friend of mine tried it. Still believing the propaganda, I was very concerned and nearly turned him in “for his own good.” After all, he couldn’t be thinking straight… could he? Well, yes, he could. Contrary to my expectations, my friend was perfectly happy, did well in school, and did not start hanging out with the wrong crowd. Something didn’t make sense.
In high school, things started to get heavier. People I knew were not just smoking pot; they were snorting coke, dropping acid, and more. Being the straight kid, I even acted as a trip sitter on a few occasions.
Finally, I saw some of the negative impacts drugs could have. Of course, the reality of the negative impacts were nothing compared to what anti-drug propaganda would have had me expect. Upon smoking pot, eating shrooms, rolling on X, or whatever - none of my friends went crazy, had their life destroyed, or any such nonsense. The vast majority of the time, all they got was a good time.
Things started to make sense. Kids do drugs because they realize that adults have lied to them about it. If they are to discover the truth, they have only one course of action: Do drugs.
Yesterday I heard a story on NPR in which children were asked what they thought about drugs. Each child parroted back, with conviction, all the same false information I believed at their age. They said things like “you’ll die” and “you’ll lose all your friends.”
What will these kids do when they find out it’s not true? Drugs. When it is discovered first-hand that drugs aren’t so bad what, then, will these kids do? More drugs.
Duh.
Don’t get me wrong. I did see a few who “crossed the line” and actually abused drugs. However these kids had a lot of problems, drugs being only one of them. Unfortunately for them, the stigma of drug use would prevent them from seeking help even after they realized they had a problem. Making matters worse, “help” would often put the focus of treatment in the wrong place; they were treated for drug use when the focus should have been more holistic. Even if they got sober, they still tended to be depressed and self-abusive - just without drugs.
So what is the War on Drugs really accomplishing? Or, rather, is it being waged effectively?
I’ve only been to a head shop only a handful of times. I’ve always found them a little fascinating in how they operate in a legal grey area. Whenever someone wants to make a purchase they are required to play a game. The rules to this game are usually posted on the wall or are told to you by one of the employees. If you break the rules they won’t do business with your or may even kick you out of the store. The rules to the game are pretty simple: All products sold in the head shop are for tobacco use only. If you even mention that you plan on using your new purchase to smoke illegal substances then you’ve just lost the game. In the particular store I went to they had these little cards. I suppose they give them to the people they have to kick out.
Another thing I found funny, as well as utterly rediculous, was a sign posted by the bongs. The sign said, “THESE ARE WATER PIPES. DO NOT REFER TO THEM BY ANY OTHER NAME.” Because we all know that bongs are only used to smoke weed and water pipes are only used to smoke tobacco and as a vase to keep freshly cut roses. Okay I was only kidding about that last part. But, the idea that an object referred to by the wrong name can get you into trouble sounds a little like newspeak, don’t you think?
And remember, kids. Only turkeys do drugs.
I’m sure that most of us have had the pleasure of munching on a few of those candy conversation hearts around Valentine’s Day. Back when I was in elementary school, candy hearts were my absolute favorite candy to get on Valentine’s Day. I’m not even sure why kids even bother handing out cards when they know the true spirit of Valentine’s Day is getting as much candy as possible.
Even to this day I can’t resist chomping down candy hearts whenever I get them. This is why I was shocked to discover the uncanny resemblance of the candy hearts to, of all things, ecstacy tablets. While the shape is different, ecstasy still has that tasty look that drives me to devour as many candy hearts as possible.
The resemblance is uncanny isn’t it? Two of the ecstasy tablets on the bottom row even have special Valentine’s Day messages. Almost makes you wonder if NECCO is really just a front for a much larger ecstasy producing operation, and the candy hearts are really an ingenious way to get kids to take ecstasy. I mean who wouldn’t want to chow down on a something that looked like candy and had endearing little messages and pictures on it?
In the meantime let’s just hope that I don’t happen upon any ecstasy tablets. I might just have to snack on a few to see if they taste like one of my favorite candies.
Lately I have been reading about an interesting little plant called salvia divinorum. This plant has been cultivated for centuries in Mexico and is somewhat popular in the recreational drug community, it is relatively unknown to society at large. It’s also 100% legal in most US states. So far.
By chewing or smoking the leaves, one can experience effects that may be best described as LSD-like. However, only about 18% of users actually describe it this way. The effects of salvia seem to be much more intense. The effects also seem to be unpleasant to a high number of users. Perhaps the experience was overwhelming to them. At higher doses, the effects may arrive immediately, but usually completely wear off in about an hour. Compare this to LSD where its effects can last up to 10 hours.
After reading about the plant and the myriad of stories written by those who have used it, I think that I may be ready to give it a try. However, my wife isn’t so keen on the idea. Maybe one day she’ll warm up to it. Until then, here’s hoping I’ll get to give it a try before our meddling politicians ban it.
While doing some reading about salvia before I began writing this article, I came across another interesting bit of information. Apparently, nutmeg is a mild to medium hallucinogen. In doses between 5 and 20 grams it can produce visual distortions and a mild euphoria. Doses above 30 grams may result in nutmeg poisoning, which causes thought disorder, a feeling of impending death, and a trip to the hospital. Now before you go raiding your mom’s spice rack, you should be warned that nutmeg isn’t popular as a recreational drug because it tastes terrible and has numerous possible negative side effects. It should also be noted that its effects don’t reach their peak for about 5 hours and can last up to three days. Check out some positive and negative nutmeg experiences here.
I’m somewhat of an armchair drug user. That is, I don’t actually do drugs but I enjoy researching them and reading about their effects. I’ve always been somewhat curious of trying marijuana, but it’s not worth the money and I’m not hip enough to know where to buy any even if I really wanted to.
Growing up, I was brainwashed by authority figures and public service announcement into believing that all illegal drugs, especially marijuana and LSD, are bad and will kill you if you use them. I’ve known for some time that marijuana is a relatively harmless drug, however it was only recently that LSD piqued my interest.
I recently had read a story written by a man who was reminiscing on his teenage years when he used to trip on LSD and magic mushrooms. It was interesting to have the perspective of an actual user who thought of his experience as a positive one. The story compelled me to do some research. It seems that unless one is using it every day and multiple times a day, the effects are temporary. It is also similar to marijuana in that it is not addictive and virtually impossible to overdose on the drug.
As an armchair drug user, this knowledge was exactly what I needed. My faux drug cravings needed to be satisfied by a simulated high. So where else could I turn but YouTube. That’s where I came across the short video below.
It seems the creator of this video clip tried to mimic the experience of what it is like to look in a mirror while tripping on LSD. The visuals and sound distortions do a great job of creating a freaky atmosphere. According to some of the comments, it’s as close as one can get to experiencing and understanding the effects of LSD without doing it yourself. Check it out and enjoy your simulated trip!
Even the worst of the Nazis got a trial, even though the trial was a sham. The indictments were created ex post facto and were not based on any nation’s law. Even US Supreme Court Chief Justice Harlan Fiske Stone called the Nuremberg trials a fraud. But I digress.
The top Nazis could get a trial despite plunging Europe into its most destructive war and caused the deaths of tens of millions of people. Yet the detainees in Guantanamo Bay are somehow undeserving of a trial because they’re too barbaric, or happened to be kidnapped and sold to the Americans for a cash reward. Forgive me if I think the Nazis were a bit more dangerous and barbaric than some religious fanatics upset that a foreign military started shooting up their country.
Supporters of detaining alleged terrorists without trial posit that we did the same things with captured Germans and Japanese during World War II. The problem with trying to classify captured terrorists as prisoners of war is that we are not at war. Terrorism is still considered a federal crime, and sending the military to fight the crime of terrorism doesn’t make us any more at war than sending the military to fight drug cartels makes us at war. The government doesn’t consider arrested drug dealers to be POWs, nor does declaring a “War on Drugs ” strip accused drug dealers of their right to a fair trial.
