If I had kids, this is what I would tell them about drugs.
First of all, that some drugs are dangerous and should be avoided. And second, that if you don't know anything about a drug, and it was not prescribed by a doctor, that you should take a sensible precaution and not use it.
But I would teach them that there are different kinds of drugs. And to not be afraid of them, just take sensible precautions.
First, that some drugs, like cocaine, meth and heroin, are highly dangerous and will ruin your life, and that they should not touch these drugs with a ten foot pole. And that if you know nothing about a drug, and it isn't prescribed by a doctor, that then you should take a sensible precaution and assume it could be dangerous.
But that some drugs, like Marijuana, are relatively harmless, and are well-known and well-proven enough that we can be sure that we know that they are relatively harmless. And that you should not rely on these drugs if you don't need them, that most likely you will be fine without them, and that being free and natural is probably better, but to not be afraid of these drugs, and to absolutely not put them in the same category as dangerous drugs like Cocaine. And that if you have to use drugs, you should use something that is safe and well-proven like Marijuana and not something that might be damgerous.
And finally, there is a third kind of drug. And that is things like LSD, which for many people might be safe if they are used carefully, but which are very potent and should not be used casually, but are things that we have to be very careful about. Think of it like a fast car. Cars can be dangerous. We can drive cars safely if we have the right training, but we would never put a person with no training behind the wheel of a car. It would be dangerous. Many psychadelic drugs, like perscription drugs, are like that. In traditional societies that use them, psychadelic drugs like peyote are used only in carefully controlled rituals, they are not used casually. This is the third kind of drug, and this includes all perscription drugs as well as psychadelics, among others. And it is my judgement that we do not yet know enough about LSD to use it safely. It is new, it was discovered in my dad's lifetime. We only studied it for a little while, and I doubt we know enough about it to know how to use it safely and who should not use it. Certainly some people have used LSD safely- but certainly some people, like Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, have used it and had it have a horrible effect on their mind. We just don't know enough about LSD to know how to use it safely. But other psychadelic drugs, like Peyote, have been used for many centuries- but should only be used in carefully controlled rituals like is traditional in the traditional societies that use them.
Marijuana too, though it is much safer than something like LSD, would still benefit greatly from being used in carefully controlled conditions. Any psychadelic drug, even a safe one like Marijuana, would be far more pleasant, if nothing else, if used only in carefully controlled conditions. It would be a whole different experience, much safer and more pleasant and much more mind-expanding at the same time. Really, to me, using a safe psychadelic drug like marijuana casually rather than in carefully controlled conditions would be a waste, and potentially a nightmare or 'bad trip'. Although it may be safe and relatively mild, as a psychadelic drug it would just be a waste and the risk of a very unpleasant experience to use it not under carefully controlled conditions. There is a reason that in traditional societies psychadelic drugs are used only in carefully controlled traditional rituals. Even if it is a relatively safe drug, if you are exploring altered mental states you want to control where your mind is going and not just set out at random, if for no other reason than to avoid a bad trip and to make the experience much more powerful and enlightening. When you are exploring with your mind, you want to be in control of your mind in order to direct your mind someplace positive and enlightening.
And one more thing: if you are using a drug like marijuana that you should get it from a reputable and legal source, or straight from the plant itself, since people on the street often put awful unsafe stuff in their marijuana in order to get you hooked. You would not buy food from such a source, so you should not buy marijuana from such a source.
And that is what I would tell my children- and you- about drugs.
Sincerely,
David S. Annderson