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truth: the Anti-Drugwar
Analysis & Commentary


One of the big problems with the "information" we are given about drugs and drug users is that they don't give us the actual context we need to make sense of what is said. For example, one of the frequently cited "dangers" of marijuana use is that the "number of emergency room mentions of marijuana is higher than that for heroin." That sounds horrible, but is it really something that's a big deal? It's hard to tell, because there are two simple pieces of information that we need before we can really understand whether or not that statement is something that should concern us. What we need to know is: "How many people go to the emergency room every year?" and "Of the people who actually use marijuana, how many of them go to the hospital because of it?"

The entire dialogue of the drug war is essentially incoherent primarily because the data is mostly being presented without much context. But when we have the context in which we can actually consider what we are being told, it is much easier to see that the "problems" of drug use are simply nowhere near as horrible as they are made to sound. This is some of the stuff I've developed to help provide some useful contexts for deciding how to address drug use. I have written about emergency room mentions and what they mean (and don't) in the links below, but I think this is perhaps the most succinct description of the real meaning of these "marijuana mentions" -- not much of a problem.


Actually, the Whole Thing is Not Much of a Problem
Abject Failure of Drug War

Analysis of Emergency Department Drug Episodes

Assessing the "Gateway" Theory

Big List of Accidental vs Drug Induced Death

Comparing ED Drug Epsiodes to Sports Injuries

"Dangers" of Marijuana

Details of Cannabis "Related" Deaths (2001)

Drug Use and Possible Negative Consequences Among 12 to 17 Year Olds

Drug War Costs Over Three Times the Alleged Costs of Drug Use (2005 Update)

Exposing the Myths About the "Costs" of Drug Use (2005 Update)

Getting the Facts About Drug Induced Deaths

Have You Had Enough Drug War Yet?

Having Seizures Isn't Helping

Legal Drugs Kill Way More People than Illegal Ones

Marijuana Mentions in the Emergency Department

Modern Day Superweed

They Died From Pot! Oops, Nevermind

Trying to Arrest Away Drug Use Isn't Working

Opinion Pieces


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