Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

To: muir_redwoods
I’m already healed. The situation that exists, is wasteful, stupid, destructive, ineffectual and Constitutionally suspect and backed by you. I’m healed.

Don't think so. You appear incapable of grasping that there are worse possibilities than what we have now. It appears that from your perspective, legalized drugs would be a wonderful utopia instead of a mass death nightmare.

You are simply suffering from a "The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence." mentality. You see the bad on this side of the fence, and you therefore think that the other side will be better because this side has so much bad.

No, the other side has even more bad.

296 posted on 03/06/2015 7:29:01 AM PST by DiogenesLamp
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 287 | View Replies ]


To: DiogenesLamp
So who is the source you use? Here is some help for you...

B. The Contemporary Conventional Wisdom
Since 1964, Soldier's Disease, in essence, was mentioned in about 100 works by drug experts, half of these since 1973.11 It was also mentioned in several studies by prestigious government agencies and Drug and Crime Commissions.12 Among the experts are many renowned critics of U.S. drug policies -- including Edward Brecher, Alan Dershowitz, John Kaplan, Arnold Trebach and Norman Zinberg. In the early 1970's a few writers questioned the factuality of Soldier's (Kramer, 1971 and 1972; Swatos, 1972; Musto, 1973; and Quinones, 1975), but shortly thereafter they were rebutted in a detailed historical analysis. (Courtwright, 1978 and 1982)13 Since the mid- 1970's the mention of Soldier's Disease has diminished, maybe because the critics had an impact or because most experts stopped probing the roots of U.S. drug policy after the early 1970's.

Soldiers Disease is, however, still mentioned by many experts ... and no one, yet, has responded to Courtwright.

Though briefly stated, a consistent theme involving three components is reiterated by almost all the cited drug experts, the only variation being in the synonyms used. First, morphine in particular, and opiates in general, were administered by naive doctors "indiscriminately" (also termed " promiscuous", "imprudent", "uncontrolled", "overdosage", "ignorant", etc.). Second, as a consequence of such medical naivete, addiction among soldiers was massive (also termed "prevalent", "commonplace", "thousands", wholesale usage", "rampant", etc.). Third, so widespread was the addiction among soldiers and veterans that it became known as Soldier's Disease (also termed "army disease", "soldier's illness", or "soldier's sickness."),14

The only clear disagreement is the few who estimate the number of addicted Civil War veterans. Some claim 45,000 (Ashley, 1972 and 1978; Geis, 1973; Health PAC, 1970; and Kenny, 1972); others 400,000. (H. Jones and Jones, 1977; Lingeman, 1969; Schwartz, 1980; Starkey, 197 1; Summers et. al., 1975; and Westin and Shaffer, 1972) Since no writer in either camp provides one clue for their claim, the possibility that both estimates arose out of the thin air circa 1970 is not ruled out.

Is today's conventional wisdom about Soldier's Disease an intellectual version of the children's game of Telephone where a simple message, after innumerable repetitions, becomes distorted and a new "catchy" message takes on a life of its own ... or have recent writers captured the essence of opiate addiction in a past era? That depends on the evidence during and just after the Civil War.

There are only so many you can choose from.

303 posted on 03/06/2015 7:49:59 AM PST by philman_36 (Pride breakfasted with plenty, dined with poverty and supped with infamy. Benjamin Franklin)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 296 | View Replies ]

To: DiogenesLamp

I’m dealing with humans, I don’t foresee a utopia. I do see an end to wasteful government spending, oppressive paramilitary police actions, dangerous compromises of the constitution and asset-forfiture laws that make everything you own subject to government seizure on a whim w/o due process.

Its odd you favor such things but, that’s on you.


304 posted on 03/06/2015 7:53:44 AM PST by muir_redwoods ("He is a very shallow critic who cannot see an eternal rebel in the heart of a conservative." G.K .C)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 296 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson