So in my personal life I've been conflicted with my passion to fight the drug war on the side of the good guys(the ones who advocate for personal freedom, Harm reduction, and champion nonviolent & responsible use...Us) Since the days of SR1 i loved discussing legal policy, politics and harm reduction among other things with forum members and subreddit members who share my interest and passion for changing the drug laws, and winning the war on drugs. However recently I've been questioning my passion and dedication more and more. IRL, i cannot continue the way i have been living for legal and personal as well as medical reasons. I have had to give up a lot within my personal life, but i had always justified it to myself as dedication to a larger cause that i always felt WE were on the cusp of winning. What with marijuana being legalized and other drugs becoming more socially accepted. As well as rehab becoming more popular as an alternative to incarceration. And it seems like every week, if not every day, there is some article on r/worldnews, or something talking about the changing tides of the WoD, and it almost always seems to favor our cause. Either the UN is discussing implanting new policies or Congress has approved yet another anti-draconian law, Or Canada/Mexico/Illinois agrees to legalize. Even some of the harder, less socially accepted drugs are being looked at in a new light. Scientific & medical research into LSD or MDMA for depression, PTSD, and many other things. This is all good news to me, and I'm sure many of you agree.
But because of my personal circumstances i cannot continue to use drugs or DNM. I have new priorities that make me want to 'retire' in a sense. My passion for drug use and harm reduction and better-sense legal policies remains. But i am conflicted in how i will move forward from here. I know no-one can answer this for me. But even if some of you have insight from your lives and your experiences feel free to share them.
Am i crazy to think that significant change will happen within my lifetime? Will a reasonable government ever pardon non violent offenders? Does Ulbrict have a chance to breathe fresh air ever again? Or am i hanging on to a diving dream because its what i WANT to believe, and its what I've been brainwashed into thinking by being a part of the SR community and this reddit community. There will always be drug use, and there will always be hard-ass hardcore bible thumping christians and republicans and authoritarians who want to lock up people for profit for 'crimes' that only affect the user. This is not fair, and the drug war has failed in many ways, but yet it continues. Is there just too much incentive for any meaningful change to occur? And more importantly how can i continue the fight to restore freedom of personal choice and encourage other to experiment with their consciousness and give psychedelics and other beneficial drugs a chance to change the world for the better? Its too dangerous for me to live the way i have for the past few years. But i believe this is my calling in life and want to make a living out of this passion of mine. Im no doctor, or attorney or LEO or lawmaker but i want to assist and fix the system through legal means. So i don't have to look behind my back and hide my IP and possess substances/plants that will jeopardize my freedom.
I know that it is still good to have people on the front lines of the WoD and these you're generations are really waking up and fighting for what they believe is right(also the college kids these days just really love smoking their pot LOL) But i want to step out of the Dark(net) and use my time and knowledge and dedication in the most meaningful way possible.
How do you feel about the current events in our society that lead to more sensible drug laws? What can we all do to protect what we have here and make our sub-culture a little more accepted and not so...illegal?
Support and donate to orgs looking to reform the laws. NORML, National Drug Policy Alliance, etc. Write your senators, participate in local council meetings where they discuss community drug policy/policing. Advocate for harm reduction centers like methadone clinics to help addicts. Try to find ways to communicate to people that drug abuse is a public health (and very personal) problem and not a degenerate criminal problem.