What I said was the mere fact that something is legal or illegal isn’t the only factor in deciding whether it is right or wrong for a person. You accused me of moral relativism—which is a mildly personal comment at me, rather than the issues. Hence my comment on civility.
With respect to examples of FR: First, it is true that some people are rather absolute about some issues, but not everyone is. I doubt you’d find many Freepers who would have abstained during Prohibition if it wasn’t their prior practice, the law withstanding. They’d say that the law violated their independence. Pot arguments are supported on both sides. Gun laws bring out the most rebellious instincts of many here.
So, with regards to marijuana, which is how this started: Is it an absolute or a relative principle to object to laws concerning control of your personal behavior? I get that you don’t like marijuana, which is your privilege; I think its less harmful than many of the evils that have occurred in what is called the War on Drugs—for example, civil asset forfeiture, the rise of criminal drug gangs to supply it, and the corruption of the police involved with them. Like I said, I have my opinion, and you have yours. Just as you may think I’m unprincipled (”moral relativist”) because my opinion doesn’t change with the legal winds, I think your attitude is rather narrow-minded. You may be using the issue of legality to buttress your argument. Would you feel any differently if you lived in Colorado? I’d hope not. If you don’t approve, the fact that the law has changed recently shouldn’t be the deciding factor for you.
And that’s about all I have to say on the subject for now.
The problem always arises when those fools crash and need fixing, at MY expense because they NATURALLY don't have the where-with-all to keep their drug use so they can continue to WORK and pay their way.
Oh no, they get addicted ... then lie out on the streets like a new-born who wet his diapers, WAITING for the world to take him in, fix him and get him ready for his new high...which he will return to because that, apparently, is the only reality he cares for.
I am tired of paying for others' whining, crashing, crying, getting wasted and then WAITING for OTHERS to pick up the pieces.
It really gets old.