Excellent Reads

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Are you tired of clickbait and the current state of journalism? This community is meant to remind you that excellent journalism still happens. While not sticking to a specific topic, the focus will be on high-quality articles and discussion around their topics.

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AwesomeLowlander@sh.itjust.works

Addicted: how the world got hooked on illicit drugs – and why we need to view this as a global threat like climate change. (theconversation.com)

submitted 3 days ago by Cat@ponder.cat to c/longreads@sh.itjust.works

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(...) My plea to policymakers is simple: employ the same evidence-based science you use for health issues towards drugs and problem drug use.

Science and research can help in many ways, if given the chance. Some of it might seem radical, like providing safe drug consumption spaces. Some of it is more mundane, but vital – like tackling inequality, a clear driver of problem drug use across the world.

But while we often look to politicians to take the lead on change, it is people – us – that really hold the solution. By far the greatest threat to people and society from drugs is ignorance and bigotry. So many lives have been lost to drugs because of shame, either as a driver of drug use or a barrier to seeking help.

Beliefs are notoriously difficult to shift. As with climate change, the most powerful driver of change is personal experience. We know that when a family or community is affected by a drug overdose, their beliefs and perceptions change. But this is not the way any of us should want to see change happen.

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[–] AwesomeLowlander@sh.itjust.works 9 points 3 days ago

The article keeps hammering the point about how drug production is harmful to all parties involved in the production chain, hence should be eradicated for that reason. It makes absolutely no mention of the obvious point that these harms only happen because the process is illegal, and legitimising the entire process, like what's been done to cannabis in some places, might be an alternative option.