What's your position on the morality of altering ones state of mind recreationally?

[LuisDantas]

Mate is a stimulant.

I suppose it is. Yet somehow I don't think I would make a point of challenge law to have access to it if it were forbidden. Something else significant must be happening. You can't expect me to just accept that there is nothing unusual or alarming about intentional mind-alterning.

 

[maxfreakout]

For me, 'pro' is a massive understatement

the way i see it, psychedelic mind alteration is the core essence of esoteric religion

religion = psychedelic tripping

 

[Me Myself]

I suppose it is. Yet somehow I don't think I would make a point of challenge law to have access to it if it were forbidden. Something else significant must be happening. You can't expect me to just accept that there is nothing unusual or alarming about intentional mind-alterning.

But we all do it all the time without unwanted collateral effects

The problem is when you dont control it, and ironically, substances can very well help you control it when you are not managing it without them (like tea to calm you down)

 

[illykitty]

I voted anti-drug only because drug (ab)use has affected me personally. I was not the (ab)user, but it affected my life in ways that I am still reeling from. Ordinarily I am of the opinion, as the Wiccan Rede states, "An it harm none, do as ye will". But people doing as they willed affected and harmed me. So my vote comes from my raw gut emotions and not my brain's intellect.

I was affected as well, my father abused drugs when I was little... Because of that I lost many years with him. He used to have hard drugs but now smokes, both cigarettes and cannabis. Can't say I'm fond of it but I'm glad I can see him. I'm not fond of alcohol either, I don't really drink any, unless I'm really pressured to (on Xmas for example - because it's "weird" to not drink). I prefer not to argue.

I'd prefer if my dad didn't use any drugs at all. I worry for him and think he's trying to escape a lot... Perhaps if he didn't he would be there for me, instead of another world.

I have tried some, but it was curiosity, I wondered what was so great about it that my father could not give it up. My friend used some and then went on using other stuff too... That seems like what happens, often. I never got hooked, only did it twice.

I'm not sure what to put in the poll, because I'm very conflicted about this. It's affected me too much to not feel apprehensive about it.

 

[Kerr]

But we all do it all the time without unwanted collateral effects

The problem is when you dont control it, and ironically, substances can very well help you control it when you are not managing it without them (like tea to calm you down)

I didnt know tea could calm you down, lol. The only effects I feel of the stuff is being unable to sleep if I drink too much of it .

 

[Penumbra]

I voted "Relative". In some cases, I think altering one's mind is fine. Other times I think it is immoral, self-destructive, and unwise.

I think the really "hard drugs" are immoral and stupid to use, and the same goes for abuse of some of the safer ones. I also think consumption of large amounts of processed food with their various synthetic or concentrated substances are very harmful.

For caffeine, alcohol, marijuana, peyote, and perhaps a few others, I don't think there is anything immoral about experimentation or mild use, assuming one is of age and the substance is legal in their region. They can have physical or mental consequences, but they can also have physical or mental benefits, including in some cases increased physical health, increased creativity, etc.

Carl Sagan stated that marijuana greatly improved his appreciation of art and music, and talked about major health benefits for patients with cancer or some other conditions. Steve Jobs credited prior use of LSD as a source of some of his inspiration. Aldous Huxley, author of Brave New World, went through legal experiments with Mescaline (active ingredient of Peyote) and LSD, and documented his experience in analytical essays.

Cultures back through prehistoric times have made diverse use of plant substances for mind-altering purposes, and in many cases the use was intertwined with their religion.

When my father was dying of cancer, both me and him wanted him to be able to use medical marijuana to improve his appetite and to improve his mood, but it was not legal in his state and therefore never done.

I don't think people should break the law, but I do think some of the laws about drugs in the United States and other places are irrational and harmful. I think some people have stances against certain drugs that are not supported by evidence, or are "black and white" thinking rather than recognizing the reality of the grayness in most things.

Personally, I consume some caffeine in the form of green tea on a regular basis, and I sometimes drink red wine with meals a couple of times per month. Green tea and red wine both have healthful effects with mild or moderate use, and I enjoy them.