[Sigaba]

LarryW--

Well said.

I would add that we should not forget the impact that even "casual" use of "recreational" drugs can have on the life of the user, his/her family, and friends.

It doesn't take a glass pipe or a syringe to send a father to an early grave, or to see him joined decades later by a life long friend, and then by his older brother. (Although a pipe did play a significant role with the last.)

It can be as simple as an empty cigar box, some rolling papers, and a "harmless" green herb, along with cans of beer, badly mixed sangria, a small spoon, and a short vial.

From there, it is a blur of missed appointments, unkept promises, watching a star crossed marriage capsize, a badly understocked pantry, fending for oneself, vital life lessons going untaught, bad habits being imitated, seemingly endless hours alone. An attempted homicide. The life of a latch-key kid.

Then there's the night before Thanksgiving. The national network news broadcasts have not yet ritualized the counting of days that Americans have been held hostages in Iran. The phone rings endlessly until one awakes from a troubled sleep, knowing what the call means before the receiver is picked up.

The voice on the other side asks "Is your father home?" One prays quickly, silently, vainly, while opening a door to find a room with a made bed. One picks up the phone, answers the question, "No" and is told "I'll be right over."

A moment later, a lifetime later, one learns that what was feared is what is true now and forever. The answer to the second question of the evening--"Do you want to be alone?"--is the same as the answer to the first question. "No."

In my opinion, the fact that the state cannot legislate morality does not mean that the state should legislate chaos.

Just my $0.02.