Recent comments in /f/vermont

MontEcola t1_jc827h8 wrote

Reply to comment by Dire88 in Vermont Lawmakers File Bills To Legalize Psychedelics And Decriminalize All Drugs by OregonTripleBeam

Good question.
I have been to a few dozen Grateful Dead Shows.
I have seen my share of bad trips. It was almost one per show in the 80’s and 90’s.
I also went to college at one of our state schools. I would never admit that it was a party college. I saw one or two people get pretty messed up from acid. One guy was having mental health issues and took acid often. It triggered his other issues in a bad way. He left school. Rumors said he was no Longer able to function for years.

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cepheus42 t1_jc82474 wrote

Reply to Essex High School and South Burlington High School should be banned from all VPA Sponsored Activities by lantonas

Listen, I get it. You're upset trans people exist and have rights, and you're pissed bigots get their asses kicked to the curb these days and no one will listen to the same arguments that have been used for centuries to justify slavery, Jim Crow, the holocaust, dragging gay people behind trucks, and other atrocities. I'm sorry it bothers you so much, it must be hard being so persecuted. But bigotry is not a protected class, and the fact "moderates" fight so hard for the rights of bigots says nothing about the logic they use and everything about who they really are as a human being, none of it good.

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imdoingmyroutine t1_jc805m7 wrote

Reply to comment by HillRatch in Vermont Lawmakers File Bills To Legalize Psychedelics And Decriminalize All Drugs by OregonTripleBeam

I agree with what you have written here but just want to clarify that the only physically dangerous drugs to quit cold turkey are alcohol and benzos such as xanax, ativan etc.

There are treatments/protocols for quitting every drug that exists but those are the only ones where you have to be in an inpatient clinic because of risk to your physical health.

There are legal options for quitting opioids that include methadone and Suboxone and they are highly effective for many people. Countless people I know, including myself, credit these drugs to saving our lives. Thankfully access has become much easier for Suboxone post COVID and it shouldn't be too hard access. To me drugs should be legal because it's a safety issue. Plenty of people have no desire to quit and that's fine. Giving them heroin for free is a cost effective way to give people dignity as well as save society a lot of money and unnecessary tragedy. People will still overdose and die but hopefully not in the numbers we are currently seeing. Even if it didn't help the overdose problem though there are still many strong arguments to be made in favor of legalization imo.

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imdoingmyroutine t1_jc7ylrk wrote

Reply to comment by Human802 in Vermont Lawmakers File Bills To Legalize Psychedelics And Decriminalize All Drugs by OregonTripleBeam

Unfortunately that isn't what's being proposed. Actually wild to me that anyone thinks there is any possible way to stop overdose deaths short of this at this point. I spent the better part of the last 10 years working with syringe exchange program and narcan distribution starting back when it was cutting edge pilot programs. I thought widespread naloxone distribution would make a huge dent in the overdose problem but it has literally just gotten worse. It's fucked. The drug supply is just so deadly at this point. Heroin hasn't even existed in 5 years basically. Now if you give everyone using heroin clean dope it's not going to stop overdose deaths but I think it should make a real dent. To me saving lives in the most important part but there are much stronger arguments to be made on saving money and reducing crime. Shit. Free heroin for everyone who wants it? That would cost nothing and just stop 50% + of crime overnight. Just feels like such a absolute no brainer to me at this point that's it's crazy that it still seems like a radical idea to people. There really isn't any difference between giving someone heroin and giving them methadone. Never has been except stigma and people's desire to have a shame based and punitive response to maladaptive behaviors.

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