blockquote Well perhaps I was misinterpreting your post, but I thought your point was precisely to blame the people who take drugs.

It is not my intention to cast blame, although I can see how you concluded that. I do think that people should take responsibility for their actions. If I knowingly purchase a football that was made under questionable circumstances such as child labor, then shame on me.

What bothers me about drugs; 1. They are illegal in the first place, whereas buying a football isn't. 2. They do cause direct harm to others. If the demand dries up, then the supply will follow suit. 3. They harm the person using them.

A few years ago our teenage son started using weed. He also attended a "diabetes" camp in New England the following summer. There, he met and befriended several kids from Mexico who also attended. As you may be aware, drug cartels have, and still are, killing hundreds of Mexican citizens along the US border in drug-running disputes. The innocent are frequently gunned down in the process. I pointed out to out our son that every time he decides to smoke another joint, he directly puts his friends at risk. It seems to have had an impact, primarily because it is true. I can only hope that he has stopped.

It is easy for drugs users, even the so-called "recreational" users to justify their habit, just like the religious "faithful" will justify their beliefs, however neither are true, anymore then "blood diamond" buyers can justify their actions.