Showing ID & signing in to buy OTC cold medicines?

[ShadowHM]

I don't think we can keep children out of this sort of discussion.  Most drug experimentation is done by young teenagers.  I would say that at that age, most teenagers don't have the mental capacity or control to make smart, responsible decisions about drug use.  Between peer pressure and someone else having the brain cell that day, kids make really dumb decisions.  The problem with drugs is that a string of stupid decisions when you're 17 can lead to a lifetime of drug abuse very easily.

And a string of stupid decisions when 17 with a shiny new G2 driver's licence can get you dead, and the friends in your car dead too. And that outcome is more easily achieved than the string of stupid decisions that might lead to drug addiction. At least the latter takes some time - where parents can guide you to better decisions.

I can't believe that people actually don't see a difference between hard drugs like cocaine and alcohol, for example.  While it's technically true that people can become addicted to almost anything, it's NOT true that all addictions are equal.  Drugs like cocaine are very, very addictive, and the effects of that addiction are very damaging, both physically and mentally.

I have seen both forms of addiction, gekko. I cannot see that the outcome was better for the alcohol addict. And, as Doc said, I was around in the 70's and 80's. I have seen many drugs in use. Some personality types lose control and others do not. For some people, the cocaine can sit in a drawer for months until the 'right time and place' for using it. For others, that cocaine can be sitting in a drawer miles away in the custody of a dealer and it calls so loudly that they have to go find it. Some can recognize the problem and decide to tune out the call. Some cannot.

Again, I stress that there ARE drugs that can be used and not abused.  Alcohol is one of the most accepted.  However, there are drugs that cannot be.

gekko
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I am sorry, but I cannot agree. From where I sit, any drug can be abused. And I believe that there is no such thing as a recreational drug that fits the description of 'cannot be used without abuse'.