Cougar wrote:
Bubbalo wrote:
Are you in favour of legalising heroin? 'Cos it's much less dangerous.
Wow......you must have ran "uninstalllogicalthinking.exe"
Actually......physiologically speaking.......heroin IS much less dangerous than many drugs. Science has been hard pressed to find any solid evidence that long term heroine use is permanently damaging to any organ systems (at least, that was the consensus the last time I did the research a couple years ago....and I readily admit that said research could now be discounted).
My understanding is that the biggest physical danger associated with heroin usage is very simply overdose. Heroin addicts grow to need their high so intensly, and so quickly, that their judgement goes out the window. Instead of injecting slowly and methodically as they did when the first started.......the shove the needle in, and pump away. Within moments a large bolus of heroin reaches the brain at once, and very quickly causes respiratory depression to the point of death (ie, your brain stops telling your lungs to breath, and you suffocate).
Another very physiologically "safe" illicit drug is LSD believe it or not. The toxic level of LSD is absolutely out of this world. If I remember correctly you have to take some thousands of hits to actually reach toxic levels. It is also low on the addiction scale, because the body very rapidly adjusts to it.....and within a few days of usage LSD no longer exerts its effects. This leads to the typical pattern of LSD usage to be a "weekend release" type of drug abuse for those that use it regularly. After a hard week at work....the go out for the weekend and trip out on acid.........after which they are back to their normal routine for the rest of the week. I also believe that LSD, due to the tiny amount that is required for the desired effect......has relatively little physiological repercussions on organ systems. This is in contrast to other halucinogen type drugs as MDMA (ecstasy)......which cause permanent destruction of serotonin receptors in the brain, and likewise lead to lifetime states of depression (not to mention hyperthermia and tachycardia which can lead to sudden death). Serotonin is responsible for regulating a lot of pleasure sensations in the brain. If your brain loses its receptors for serotonin, you begin to lose you ability to experience emotional satisfaction.
I will say, in terms of LSD usage.......it is still highly dangerous due to the often TERRIFYING halucinations that result, which can lead users to suicide, or so emotionally scared from the experience that they are never the same again.
Well anyway, that was my lecture on the Psychopharmacology of Abused Drugs. Class dismissed.
KiL
PS- As mentioned, much of the "facts" I have presented may well be outdated. Scientific research changes so often, and my study into the subject was years ago in undergrad. So, before you take my word for anything......DO THE RESEARCH FOR YOURSELF. Also keep in mind that I am in no way promoting the usage of any illicit drug in any form ever. I think it's stupid.....always. I am just trying to provide an unbiased and hopefully factual representation of some commonly used illicit drugs.
PPS- I also realize that this post has gone vastly off the original topic. If you've got a problem with it, go shoot some heroin, drop some acid, and chill out (jk...seriously, don't do any of that).