Responsible drug use

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For illegal drugs that are not diverted prescription controlled substances, some critics[1][2] believe that illegal recreational use is inherently irresponsible, due to the unpredictable and unmonitored strength and purity of the drugs and the risks of addiction, infection, and other side effects. Nevertheless, harm reduction advocates claim that the user can be responsible by employing the same general principles applicable to the use of alcohol: avoiding hazardous situations, excessive doses, and hazardous combinations of drugs; avoiding injection; and not using drugs at the same time as activities that may be unsafe without a sober state. Drug use can be thought of as an activity that can be fun or beneficial, but risky at the same time, similar to driving a car, skiing, or skydiving, the risks of which can be minimized by using caution and common sense. These advocates also point out that government action (or inaction) makes responsible drug use more difficult, by making drugs of known purity and strength unavailable.

Suggested rules[edit]

Duncan and Gold argue that to use controlled and other drugs responsibly, a person must adhere to a list of principles.[3] They argue that drug users must understand and educate themselves on the effects and legal status of the drug they are taking, measure accurate dosages, and take other precautions to reduce the risk of overdose when taking drugs where an overdose is possible. If possible (rarely done)[citation needed], chemically test all drugs before use to determine their purity and strength. As well, they argue that drug users should avoid driving, operating heavy machinery, or otherwise situate themselves directly or indirectly responsible for the safety or care of another person while intoxicated. When taking hallucinogenic drugs, they suggest that a user have a trip sitter (or "copilot"). They also propose some ethical guidelines, such as; a person should never trick or persuade anyone to use a drug; a person should not allow drug use to overshadow other aspects of their life (i.e. financial and social responsibilities); a person should be morally conscious of the source of the drugs that a person is using.



Criticism and counterarguments[edit]

Health and social consequences[edit]

Some drugs are associated with high rates of addiction.[citation needed] [clarification needed] Some argue that even moderate use of these drugs could result in a strong physical need for an increased dosage.[citation needed]

Drug use and users are often not considered socially acceptable; they are often marginalized socially and economically.[5]

Drug use may affect work performance; however, drug testing should not be necessary if this is so, as a user's work performance would be observably deficient, and be grounds in itself for dismissal. In the case of discriminate use of amphetamines and similar drugs, work capacity actually increases, which in itself raises additional ethical considerations.[6][7]



The morality of buying certain illegal drugs is also questioned given that the trade in cocaine, for instance, has been estimated to cause 20,000 deaths a year in Colombia alone.[8] Increasing Western demand for cocaine causes several hundred thousand people to be displaced from their homes every year, indigenous people are enslaved to produce cocaine and people are killed by the land mines drug cartels place to protect their coca crops.[8] However, the majority of deaths currently caused by the illegal drug trade can only take place in a situation in which the drugs are illegal and some critics blame prohibition of drugs and not their consumption for the violence surrounding them.[9] The illegality of drugs in itself may also cause social and economic consequences for those using them, and legal regulation of drug production and distribution could alleviate these and other dangers of illegal drug use.[10]

Harm reduction[edit]



Harm reduction seeks to minimize the harms that can occur through the use of various drugs, whether legal (e.g. alcohol and nicotine), or illegal (e.g. heroin and cocaine). For example, people who inject illicit drugs can minimize harm to both themselves and members of the community through proper injecting technique, using new needles and syringes each time, and through proper disposal of all injecting equipment. Smoking a 700-mg. tobacco cigarette or cannabis joint (with the attendant heat shock, carbon monoxide, and combustion toxins) can be avoided by serving individual 25-mg. "single tokes" in a miniature pipe or using a vaporizer.



Supervised injection sites (SiS)[edit]





See also[edit]


General references
  5. ^ Rick Lines. "The Politics Of Drug Use Marginalization". PASAN, Ontario. Retrieved 14 July 09.  Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  6. ^ "DexedrineR: SmithKline Beecham: Dextroamphetamine Sulfate: Sympathomimetic". RxMed. 
  7. ^ "Human EnhancementR: SmithKline Beecham: Dextroamphetamine Sulfate: Sympathomimetic". RxMed. 
  9. ^ Huffington Post Prohibition, Not Pot Smokers for Violence in Mexico April 14, 2009
  11. ^ Vancouver Coastal Health (2007)
  12. ^ [1]

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]