[Skybird]

Talking as an ex-psychologist here. Marihuana can get you into problems if used too much. It is not justified to call it allout safe, just becasue it does not create damage so quickly like heroin. whereas the occasional glas of beer, wine or even hard stuff like whisky does you no harm if not being turned into a regular habit. Fanatic teetotallers for ideologic reasons are doing more harm to their mind. The ideology of totally rejecting alcohol. So the problem is too excessive use, and that is a criteria different for every drug.

The state obviously supports alcohol and tobacco, since he creates a not small tax income by these two. Both also have a very strong industrial lobby.

LSD is not unaddicitve, btw. It can lead you into serious psychological craving, and derange your mind for the rest of your life. "Not damaging physical or mental health of the user" - that is simply wrong, Red Menace. I agree only in so far that with the assessement of such drugs a subtle approach is needed. But always and under all circumstances harmless is none of them. It is a very good idea to make regular consummation of them not a socially agreed norm of life. They should remain to be exceptions.

concerning the often heared argument that things like LSD eventually can "free your mind", I have almost a policy on that, as a former meditation teacher. Even Stanislav Grof, who experimented a lot with LSD and according visions, has replaced the drug with relaxation meditation based on excessive ventilating techniques. No drug ever frees your mind. It may show you things, and you may regard them to be of more or less value, but never does a drug free your mind. For that, you need to choose the other path, so to speak. Granted, it is not as easy as taking a pill, but that is due to lacking knowledge. In truth, it is even easier than swallowing a pill, becasue there is nothing that is to be acchieved. Well, this only as a rejection of that "spiritual" argument on certain drugs, in case it would show up here. There is nothing like a "holiness-pill."

I leave out social context issues of drug consummation, that play an important rule especially amongst young people, and nthat could lead from soft drugs to hard drugs so easily. Which also is a danger factor, of course.