Good point about cannabis, which is also very safe and useful in many ways. The main danger with cannabis is that some with weak emotional defense systems can be harmed by it not physically but emotionally. (On the other hand, some people can even consume LDS frequently and long term and not suffer any apparent problems; everyone is different).
"My body my choice" needs to be in the Bill of Rights, including for ingestion of toxic substances (alcohol, tobacco, heroin -- you name it). Coercive prohibition is ALWAYS worse and causes more violence and other harm than the drug itself, but even if that weren't true, FREEDOM is the baseline human right that trumps all coercive meddling. Harming others is one thing; harming yourself may not be smart but it's YOUR choice, not mine.
Back to vitamin C: High doses of vitamin C, mainly in people who haven't been taking significant amounts before, can cause diarrhea. But most people can tolerate several grams daily without problems; I've been taking 8 to 12 grams daily for years and millions of others do the same. I'm leery of establishment warnings about the alleged dangers of vitamin C; everything has dangers but taking C even in high doses is safer than eating food (which actually does sicken a great many people every year and even kills a few).
That said, I'll add that for healthy people, a gram or two of C is plenty; when fighting an illness or for someone under stress, more is needed. And the source of the product matters because much of the base product for vitamins sold in the US now comes from (you guessed it) China and often has higher levels of heavy metals and other contaminants than it should, particularly if you're taking large doses (a contaminant level "safe" per industry standards at 100mg may not be safe when taking 5,000 mg).
"My body my choice" needs to be in the Bill of Rights, including for ingestion of toxic substances (alcohol, tobacco, heroin -- you name it).
Common sense right there. Citizens and govts that think they can cure drug addiction if they simply demonize the person and the substance intensely enough have always been wrong. Case in point, look at all the addicts today. In part of Switzerland, taxpayers voted to legalize heroin and create treatment centers where addicts come and get dosed twice a day (and also, of course, counseling and education on how to quit) for free. A mother said in an interview the program got her off the streets and away from petty crime including prostitution to support her habit. So once she got a job and held it for a time, custody of her child was restored. She now has her child, her dignity, and her life back...and at the time was entering the final phase, rehab. The area where this was instituted has seen a dramatic reduction in crime, both violent and otherwise, in illicit drug dealing, in diseases like hepatitis from dirty needles, and in the presence of prostitutes and addicts hanging around on street corners.
Coercive prohibition is ALWAYS worse and causes more violence and other harm than the drug itself, but even if that weren't true, FREEDOM is the baseline human right that trumps all coercive meddling. Harming others is one thing; harming yourself may not be smart but it's YOUR choice, not mine.
Spectacularly well put.
A liberal democrat (opposite of what it means in the US) senator in pre-communist Australia stated on the record that it has NEVER been a legitimate duty of govt to punish people for VICES. A vice he defined as something that harms only the participant, who is freely choosing to participate. Govt can only ever exert force against those who commit a CRIME, which is by definition an offense against others.
Good point about cannabis, which is also very safe and useful in many ways. The main danger with cannabis is that some with weak emotional defense systems can be harmed by it not physically but emotionally. (On the other hand, some people can even consume LDS frequently and long term and not suffer any apparent problems; everyone is different).
"My body my choice" needs to be in the Bill of Rights, including for ingestion of toxic substances (alcohol, tobacco, heroin -- you name it). Coercive prohibition is ALWAYS worse and causes more violence and other harm than the drug itself, but even if that weren't true, FREEDOM is the baseline human right that trumps all coercive meddling. Harming others is one thing; harming yourself may not be smart but it's YOUR choice, not mine.
Back to vitamin C: High doses of vitamin C, mainly in people who haven't been taking significant amounts before, can cause diarrhea. But most people can tolerate several grams daily without problems; I've been taking 8 to 12 grams daily for years and millions of others do the same. I'm leery of establishment warnings about the alleged dangers of vitamin C; everything has dangers but taking C even in high doses is safer than eating food (which actually does sicken a great many people every year and even kills a few).
That said, I'll add that for healthy people, a gram or two of C is plenty; when fighting an illness or for someone under stress, more is needed. And the source of the product matters because much of the base product for vitamins sold in the US now comes from (you guessed it) China and often has higher levels of heavy metals and other contaminants than it should, particularly if you're taking large doses (a contaminant level "safe" per industry standards at 100mg may not be safe when taking 5,000 mg).
Common sense right there. Citizens and govts that think they can cure drug addiction if they simply demonize the person and the substance intensely enough have always been wrong. Case in point, look at all the addicts today. In part of Switzerland, taxpayers voted to legalize heroin and create treatment centers where addicts come and get dosed twice a day (and also, of course, counseling and education on how to quit) for free. A mother said in an interview the program got her off the streets and away from petty crime including prostitution to support her habit. So once she got a job and held it for a time, custody of her child was restored. She now has her child, her dignity, and her life back...and at the time was entering the final phase, rehab. The area where this was instituted has seen a dramatic reduction in crime, both violent and otherwise, in illicit drug dealing, in diseases like hepatitis from dirty needles, and in the presence of prostitutes and addicts hanging around on street corners.
Spectacularly well put.
A liberal democrat (opposite of what it means in the US) senator in pre-communist Australia stated on the record that it has NEVER been a legitimate duty of govt to punish people for VICES. A vice he defined as something that harms only the participant, who is freely choosing to participate. Govt can only ever exert force against those who commit a CRIME, which is by definition an offense against others.