It is very interesting how people react to legal and illegal substances simply based upon how they are handled in politics.
A drug is any substance that alters a person’s physical or mental functions.
Drugs can be used for recreation or used to treat medical issues. They can be legally bought almost anywhere, illegal to purchase, or only purchased using a prescription written by a medical professional. In addition, drugs are usually classified based on their legal status.
These statuses are set by political leaders in government at every level. The public opinion of a drug is often greatly influenced by these statuses.
Legal Drugs
There are many legal drugs that people buy and use on a daily basis. Some of these are regulated, while others are not. Caffeine is likely the most widely used drug with barely any legislation regarding its use or sale. It has been proven to have negative effects on the body, though. Many parents don’t allow their children to drink caffeinated beverages because of this.
People with heart conditions or high blood pressure are often warned against it as well. In addition, caffeine is addictive and people do report withdraw symptoms if they stop consuming it. Other legal drugs that are commonly used include tobacco and alcohol. These do have stricter regulations and are often looked upon negatively by the public.
However, they are legal for certain age groups and can be purchased in various retail locations. Tobacco has undergone strict legislation in recent years due to scientific studies stating how harmful it can be. Alcohol is also highly regulated because of how dangerous it can be for a person to be under its influence, especially in relation to operating a motor vehicle.
In addition, alcohol abuse is a serious situation and one area where drug abuse and politics really butt heads. People undergo rehab for alcohol abuse just as they do for abusing illegal or controlled substances.
Controlled and Illegal Substances
Government control over illegal and controlled substances is much harsher than for legal drugs. The use of these substances can lead to incarceration. Many illegal substances lead to abuse and serious side effects, even death. The extreme involvement of the government in the management and control of these substances is something that greatly influences how people think of them.
Illegal substances are seen as bad. However, controlled substances are often seen as helpful unless they are abused and then they, too, are labeled as bad. Perhaps the most interesting thing is that illegal drugs and controlled substances can produce the exact same addictive behavior as legal drugs.
In addition, these drugs also cause harmful effects on the body as do legal drugs. The only thing that seems to separate them is the fact that the government has put these illegal, controlled, and legal labels on them. It is very interesting how people react to drugs simply based upon how they are handled in politics.
When the government says a drug is illegal, people condemn those who use it and label it as bad. However, when a substance is labeled as legal, even if it causes problems that are just as severe as illegal substances, such as is the case with alcohol, people see nothing wrong with it.
It is a very interesting situation that really shows just how influential politics is when it comes to drugs.