I believe that drug taking has received a terrible social stigma due to ignorance on the part of the general public and by biased government and media reporting and teaching. Mind you, I am not referring to use of cocaine and heroin, nor am I referring to irresponsible or addictive use of drugs. I am referring to the responsible use of marijuana and psychedelics to reach a higher level of thinking or to gain a better appreciation for art, nature, and life in general.

I will use myself as an example. I am a business student at a selective university. I come from an upper middle class upbringing and do well in school. I take care of myself and do not look or play the part of the degenerate drug user that society has ignorantly developed a social stigma against. I do, however use marijuana and have tripped on lsd. I do not use these drugs merely for fun, like how one will get drunk merely because they are bored, but rather to appreciate life on a higher level. I love going for walks and listening to music alone to take the time to look at the world around me from a different perspective. In addition to these activities, I would like to use psychedelics to achieve a deeper understanding of my own purpose in life while also looking at various perspectives on a wide range of questions and commonly held beliefs in our society. However, due to the stigma placed on these drugs, it is extremely hard to both find these drugs as well as to use these drugs without being stereotyped as a worthless addict or drug user. Society, however, has no issue with drinking. Going out to drink at the bar along with the immaturity that comes along with alcohol is as normal an activity as going to the movies for adults. Yet, I can't use non-addictive, low-harm drugs to increase my cognitive ability or my ability to appreciate art while in a completely peaceful state where no one else is negatively effected.

Also, as a disclaimer, I do not need drugs to appreciate life, music, art, or nature. I go for walks, look at art and listen to music sober with extreme pleasure everyday. Drugs merely provide me with a mindset where I myself am more willing to stop and appreciate life for what it is. For example, in a sober mindset I may not notice the sunset as it is just a normal sight. While high, however, I will be amazed and will actually stop and take time to look over the beauty that is nature. Also, while high, time seems to slow down, and I can hear music in a different way. With time slowed, I can pick up on things that I miss while sober.

Essentially, I believe that responsible drug use of nonaddictive drugs needs to lose the terrible social stigma and be placed on the level of alcohol consumption.

I also wish to add that this social stigma is the cause of illogical thinking as well. For example, at my university, getting caught with alcohol will get you a slap on the wrist when compared to getting caught with marijuana. This is funny considering the fact that students are transported from the dorms to the hospital every weekend because of alcohol. No one has been transported because of marijuana consumption however. Also, my mom has told me she would rather me smoke cigarettes than marijuana due to the biased media and government reporting on marijuana.

Please excuse any typos or grammatical errors. It is late and I am tired and hate typing on a mobile device.