Quote Originally Posted by drmcboy
i don't understand how you can be an intelligent person re: drugs, which it seems like you are, but not see how stuff like this only adds to the taboos which help keep the drug war alive and well
Is there something wrong with being more knowledgeable about the risks associated with something you ingest? The scientific evidence re: increased risk of psychosis was not available when I was younger. My cousin, who is seven years younger than me, was diagnosed as schizophrenic in his first year of university and used marijuana extensively. Did the pot trigger it? We'll probably never know. Did he know the risk? No. At that time the pro-marijuana groups were positioning pot as completely harmless, and still do to a large extent today, even though that is patently untrue.

If you supress negative information then it's not an honest discussion, but, rather, a propaganda war. The "drug war" is a strictly American invention - other societies that are more liberal about recreational drug use get better societal outcomes by legalizing and regulating, and are probably perceived as more credible when they are communicating about the risks.