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It’s really not the consumers of alcohol (one can have a drink or two) but the drunken.

Yes, I do believe in individual liberty. I have the liberty to be in my house and not be assaulted by a person who has deliberately made himself delusional by smoking pot.

I am no geneticist but have a good friend who specializes in drug-induced psychosis, especially schizophrenia, heading up major studies in that area. He has opened my eyes to the fact that many mentally ill people are that way due to previous drug abuse. A famous person you may relate to in that way would be Roger Waters, of Pink Floyd, who lost his mind to LSD. He is famous, but there are of course many more non-famous as well.

Secondarily, a large number (I won’t pretend to remember how many) with mental illnesses were RAISED by drug abusers, who either abused or neglected them, or both. Due to their drug abuse. Which makes you far more abusive and neglectful than you would normally be.

Thus, while I am all for individual liberty, I do not consider drug abuse to be an individual liberty.

Smoking cigs? Individual liberty. (I don’t smoke or drink, so I have no horse in this race). The second hand smoke arguments are absurd. The automatic snuff in cigs nowadays prevents the fall-asleep fires. So I see cigarette smoking as an individual liberty.

Likewise alcohol use, up to but not crossing the line of drunkenness. Same reason - I see no evidence that it’s harmful to anyone else.

That was Syd Barrett, original founder of PF, not Roger Waters. But I would argue Waters is a mental basket case too.

I am no geneticist but have a good friend who specializes in drug-induced psychosis, especially schizophrenia, heading up major studies in that area. He has opened my eyes to the fact that many mentally ill people are that way due to previous drug abuse. A famous person you may relate to in that way would be Roger Waters, of Pink Floyd, who lost his mind to LSD.

I don't relate to Roger Waters because he's an a-hole. But he isn't the Pink Floyd member who lost his mind. That was Syd Barret who lost it and left the band before the band really took off.

LSD is not marijuana or anything close to it. Nor is it clear that Syd Barret lost his mind because of LSD, at least not solely because of it, but it is possible. However, the number of people who use or have used LSD is so small it really can't be considered a significant societal problem. No one ever gets addicted to it due to the nature of it. Its effects are self-limiting for habitual usage.

I have never heard of anyone losing their mind, even temporarily, while using pot. Not even a credible anecdotal story.