chris volkay writes:

I would like to enter the foray on what we refer to as the
war on drugs. The aspect of the ongoing farce we
euphemistically refer to as the “war on drugs” I would like
to address is the government's, the politicians', and the
people's, absolute duplicity regarding our entire societies
en masse altering of it’s collective neurochemistry.

For what are the real problem drugs in our society? Cocaine,
heroin, speed, etc.? Oh heavens no, friendly friends. Legal
tobacco, alcohol and prescription drugs (uppers, downers,
sleeping pills) do a hundred times more damage, more loss of
life, disease, cause more loss of productivity, violence,
etc. etc. than the aggregate of the other highly publicized
illegal drugs.

However, the American people, with their seemingly endless
and inexhaustible talents at self-delusion and specious
sophistry, refuse to see these rather dolor-inducing
verities.

Why, prey tell, you may ask, do they act in these rather
curious ways? Simple. Because the majority, the good
majority of the entire western world is busy altering and
abridging their moods and brain chemistry. An entire society
in denial about it’s own drug use.

Perhaps you doubt my premise. Let’s examine some facts shall
we? Let’s look at the United States. Approximately 50
million people currently self-medicate themselves with
cigarettes. I have read that 90-100 million drink alcohol to
some degree. (Both alcoholics and social drinkers) Tens of
millions more, so I have read, take legal prescriptions from
their doctors. All perfectly legal. I have seen reports that
state that probably in the neighborhood of 70-75% of the
American population is currently altering their
neurochemistry with these substances alone. This corresponds
to my own life as approximately only about 1 person in 4
abstains from these substances. My point is that certainly
we have the majority of Americans altering themselves with
these brain chemicals. And yet we spend most of our time
chasing these craftily constructed canards involving “drugs”
while most of our family is medicating themselves in one way
or another.

So what is my prescription to this situation? First, let’s
at least try to be honest about the extent of drug use in
this country. I list tobacco as a drug, as the people who
smoke it, whether knowing it or not are simply
self-medicating themselves with a serotonin and dopamine
altering neurochemical that acts similarly to
anti-depressant and mood elevating agents such as Prozac and
Zoloft and to a lesser degree Valium and Xanax. One of the
main differences, however is that the cigarette takes only
approximately 7 seconds to deliver its properties to the
brain.

Secondly, lets acknowledge that this kind of endemic drug
use has always been with us, is with us today and will be
with us in the future unless we are able to substantially
alter our genetic structures through genetic engineering and
medicine. The human genome may offer us answers in these
areas.

But what does this mean? Simply put, human suffering and
misery and pain abound in our society, but we seldom talk
about such things because we have managed to attach a number
of taboos regarding such admissions. So, many of our fellow
citizens stoically suffer in silence (Think Max Von Sydow in
any Bergman film he’s done.) while attempting to medicate
themselves into happiness. We human beings are really not
designed for happiness in any event. When our ancestors
roamed the Serengeti desert, only survival and the
furthering of our DNA was rewarded. Our perfectly happy,
well adjusted ancestors that sat around the barbecue telling
jokes, were quickly eaten by the Tigers and only the edgy,
tense, anxiety plagued, clever Woody Allenesque neurotics,
who were ever vigilant, were able to escape the Tiger’s
sabre teeth. Ours has never been a legacy of happiness. Had
it been, we may not have survived. Add to this a people
whose brains were formed during the stone age and who are
now living in the silicon, sit-commed, superficial cyberage.
Both our environment and our genetic hard wiring do not
militate toward our achieving anything even remotely
approaching Nirvana.

So, if what I have stated is correct then what might some
suggestions be to improve this situation? Let me offer the
following, oh so modest, proposals. Let’s realize that
illegal drug use is simply a game that has been created by
society. We have deemed certain drugs legal and certain
other ones illegal causing this situation. In this regard,
“Traffic,” is correct. While a few million people are
actually addicted to hard drugs like cocaine, heroin and
meth, some 120-150 million American adults and minors are
feverishly altering their brain chemistries by employing
alcohol, tobacco and prescription uppers and downers.
Reports vary, but the consensus of the reports I have read
would suggest that something on the order of about 2,000
hard drug addicts die each year. Approximately 500,000 to
600,000 die annually from alcohol, tobacco and legal drugs.
In terms of violence, lost productivity, countless billions
spent on rehabs, lost days of work, treatment of related
health problems, etc. etc. there is simply no comparison.

Until we are able to alter our essential genetic code
through genetic engineering, probably a couple of centuries
in the future, let’s realize that human beings, for the
reasons elucidated above, and a myriad of other complex
reasons, will be using drugs, period. Like so many other
issues before us, we can either live in the dream world of
what should be or simply face the reality that surrounds us.

Allow me to make the following proposal. If an agent could
be found that could supplant these deadly toxic drugs that
the good majority of our citizenry are currently taking,
wouldn’t that be just a peachy situation? Well, lo and
behold, we do have such agents. They are the class of drug
we have given the unfortunate name of anti-depressants, mood
elevators etc. Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft. These agents have been
shown to be effective in a wide range of conditions that
have stalked man in perpetuity. Using an analogy, these
chemicals have the ability to maintain the proper amounts of
chemicals in our brains, sort of like keeping enough oil in
our car’s engine to keep it running smoothly. If your car
runs low on oil, bad things happen, and James Brolin can
smirk that he told you so on TV. Well, so it is with our
brains as well. These neurochemicals have the ability let us
retain more of the dopamine, serotonin and noradrenaline
that our brains need to produce feelings of wellbeing and
felicity.

The only problem with these medicines is that they are only
available by prescription. Now, let the pontificating
commence. Look at the ludicrous situation we have regarding
this aspect of “drug policy.” On the one hand we have mood
altering substances like alcohol, tobacco, addictive “legal”
uppers and downers, heroin, cocaine etc. and all the rest
being feverishly consumed by large amounts of the
population. These drugs cause untold havoc, death, disease,
addiction, misery and suffering. The costs in human lives
and disease and monetary loss are really beyond
comprehension. The tobacco and alcohol are readily available
at the 7-11. The illegal drugs are easy to find and
plentiful, just watch an episode of “Cops” if you doubt
this. “Legal” uppers and downers can be obtained through a
doctor, but are addictive. Addictive not good.

Now on the other side of this equation we have the so-called
antidepressants. First off and most importantly, they are
not addictive. This good. They act essentially to keep our
vital “oils” properly lubricating our brains. By boosting
the reuptake of familiar neurotransmitters like serotonin
and norepinephrine they act to mitigate our unpleasant
feelings like sadness and anxiety. Also, they happen to
work, as a plethora of double blind studies and clinical
experience bears out. I can tell you what they don’t do as
well. As far as is known they are not associated with lung
cancer, emphysema, diabetes, pancreatitis, a variety of
liver diseases, wet brain, delirium tremens, driving into
school buses, paranoia, insanity, and stays at the Betty
Ford clinic, just to name a few. The one “problem” with
antidepressants, depending on your point of view, is that
they do not get you high. They do not cross the blood brain
barrier. So the people seeking chemical oblivion may be less
inclined toward these substances than your typical user. But
the important question seems to me to be, how many millions,
perhaps tens of millions of people currently using these
potentially deadly substances, could benefit and benefit
greatly by switching to these types of effective but
relatively benign agents? And what would the financial cost
difference be?

Now a few brief caveats. No, antidepressants are not cures
for nicotine and alcohol addiction but they can help. One
study showed that 40% of smokers were able to quit when
using Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI’s). Some
studies have shown a cessation or, more commonly, a
reduction in the consumption of alcohol by alcoholics.
Perhaps the gentleman drinking 20 beers a day will now be
drinking 6 a day. Not perfect but none-the-less progress.
While they are not cure-alls they certainly represent a
significant step in the right direction.

But what is the current state of affairs? On the one hand
perhaps 70-75% of the adult population is currently
self-medicating themselves with substances that can kill
them, destroy them, make them sick, get them incarcerated,
get them addicted, leave them bankrupt, and on and on. These
substances are readily available and implicitly sanctioned
and approved by our society. On the other hand we have safe,
non-addicting, doctor prescribed medicines that can also
alter the brain chemistry of people and help to mollify and
assuage their negative feelings. These substances, however,
are not sanctioned by our society. Taboos and ignorance are
attached to them. And finally, only doctors can prescribe
them. Making the doctors the gate keepers as to who can
benefit from these agents and who may not. Alcohol, tobacco,
heroin, cocaine, all relatively easy to get. Antidepressant
medicine, comparatively harder to get. Does this make sense
to you?

Personally, I do not even use caffeine, and do not advocate
anybody using drugs of any kind. However, as long as people
are going to continue to self-medicate themselves in massive
numbers, for reasons that are largely out of their control,
wouldn’t we be better off if the tables were turned and
truly helpful medicines were at least as easy to get as the
deadly, destructive, potentially addictive ones that so many
of us pick up at the nearby 7-11 on the way home?