Newsgroups: alt.drugs
From: [m 1 tca 00] at [fed.frb.gov] (Thomas C. Allard)
Subject: Re: Newsweek
Date: Fri, 22 Oct 1993 14:58:34 GMT

[d--os--n] at [world.std.com] writes:
> Newsweek is doing a story on whether drugs--especially marijuana and
> heroin are making a comeback. If you're a new heroin user (i.e. started
> over the last few years) I'd love to talk with you--either electronically
> or by phone. Please call Debra Rosenberg at Newsweek's Boston bureau by
> Friday , Oct. 22 at 617-350-0300 (you can call collect) or send me an
> e-mail note to [d--os--n] at [world.std.com.] You can remain anonymous. Thanks for
> your help.

Argh.  About a year ago, the Washington City Paper did an article
on the return of the "Return of LSD" articles.  They did a search
and found that about every year an article comes out saying "LSD
is back".  The main question they raised was "Where has it been?"
If you're gonna do an article about something coming back, you
outta show that it disapeared first, right?

The most common way these articles would show that something is
"back" was by looking at other articles saying it was back.  The
other common argument was a rise in police arrests.  It does NOT
take a degree in math to see how stupid this is (ok, I've got one
so maybe it DOES take a degree).  All this kind of statisic shows
is that police have decided to go after a drug.  Considering how
they can now take everything you own for a drug crime, it's not
surprising that they want to target more and more drugs.

The real point is that LSD usage never went down.  It stays out
of the media because all those myths are just plain false.  It's
a relatively safe drug and it doesn't have an odor a dog can find
and there aren't any common tests for LSD intoxication.

Most of these silly articles also repeat the lies about LSD (and
NEVER with so much as one case that you could look up and verify).

I've got a small collection of "Return of LSD" TV-news stories as well.
They make for interesting viewing while...

Most of them have some pig saying "We [society] forget the side-effects
like flashbacks and permanent psychosis".  Again, they never provide
a single case that you could actually verify.

And if that wasn't stupid enough, I was floored six months ago when
CNN did a story on the comeback of... get this:  MARIJUANA.
They even did an interview with Robert Plant who acted (I'm convinced
he was pulling their chain) shocked that people smoke dope today.
And this week, marijuana has "returned" again on the front page
of one of the Washington (DC) papers (I think the Post).  I guess
it went on hiatus for six months.

Next week... the return of sex.

rgds-- TA  ([m 1 tca 00] at [frb.gov])
[implied disclaimer]

-----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----
Version: 2.1

mQCNAisD0LIAAAED/iySMqSjhdDpeer8AVNJNzRTh61uIgGHVwkczinCxLs9fp4w
6V96UxImXqAGXn9lwNTPYu1cnahFnfaGqNG4AMtOrcVdfcisRHxbOdgCExnKVRAH
BN0c+XoZ+HLVB2ryB+lyEC2C6nR2NV64DneZE+jCKUD9S7H6F2Oj3mNEdldnAAUR
tCBUb20gQWxsYXJkIDxtMXRjYTAwQGZlZC5mcmIuZ292Pg==
=btzW
-----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----