Drug Use in General

Drugs are both helpful and detrimental depending on how you use them. Drugs are very powerful substances that require great caution for a variety of reasons. When used correctly, drugs can cure diseases, treat depression, control pain, improve one's insight into reality, and be of great benefit. When used incorrectly drugs can result in a lifestyle of addiction, can ruin one's health, and cause one to make regrettable decisions. While under the influence one might crash a car, might be killed. Some drugs are illegal and you can go to jail if you are caught using them. Whenever a realist considers the use of drugs, legally or illegally, great care should be taken to ensure that drugs are used in a manner that is best for the individual and the people around them. No matter what drug you are thinking about using a Realist should act in a responsible manner and always use good judgment when deciding to use any drug whether legal or not. Realists culture includes the idea that the individual enjoy a great amount of Freedom in their personal choices and that we are strongly individualistic and that we Own Ourselves. However the price of personal freedom is Personal Responsibility. If we are to be free to choose the path of our lives then we also must Respect society and the lives, safety, and rights of other people. We have to use Wisdom in our decisions about drugs so that any decision that we make regarding drug use takes into account all aspects of the consequences of our decisions.

 

Legal Drug Use

Some drugs are legal and some aren't. A lot depends on where you live and what nation states are asserting jurisdiction in your location. Legal drugs are often as dangerous as illegal drugs. Legal prescription drugs can also lead to bad results even when used properly. It must therefore be the responsibility of the individual to make sure that even if a doctor prescribes drugs that it is in their best interest to take them. Prescription drugs can be over prescribed. Sometimes antidepressants are given when the real solution is to make better lifestyle decisions. Sometimes the antidepressant is just what you need. Sometimes a person after an accident can become addicted to pain killers and doctors will keep giving them to you instead of treating your addiction. One must be intimately involved in the decision to take drugs. There are also legal drugs like Cigarettes and Alcohol that are as dangerous or more dangerous than most illegal drugs. The drugs are legal because governments are addicted to drug money revenues from cigarette companies who market their poison with the blessings of the state. In the case of alcohol, this drug can be perfectly safe and healthy when used correctly and totally devastating when used incorrectly. Mixing drugs with driving vehicles or other dangerous equipment is immoral in the Church of Reality because your actions put other people in danger. Realists should not drive drunk. Nor should a Realist drive a car if they are taking other prescription drugs that warn you not to drive. A Realist should always take the safety of themselves and others into account when taking drugs either legally or illegally.

 

Illegal Drug Use

The Church of Reality in general discourages the illegal use of drugs. If a drug is illegal there is often, but not always, good reason for it. Having said that Marijuana is a notable exception. Sometimes drugs are made illegal for political reasons. Regardless, with any illegal drug there is the issue of getting caught and whether the cost of getting caught is worth the benefits of doing the drug. In many cases it is not. In some jurisdictions some drugs are illegal but not enforced. Some countries will execute you for smoking a joint. As with legal drugs the Church of Reality urges realists to be smart. Always fully understand the effects of the drug you are using and the proper doses, side effects, and anything else that might lead to a decision that you will regret. As always, wisdom is required and one should really think things through when using any substance whether legal or not.

 

Medical Use of Illegal Drugs

Because laws are applicable to the general public and because there is a problem with drug abuse in society, laws intended to halt the abuse of drugs have an unintended consequence of preventing people who need drugs for medical reasons from getting them. The problem with the law is that it is often not fine grained enough to allow for necessary exceptions for people who need medicine. The Church of Reality puts Compassion above law. We do not withhold necessary medicine from those who need it just because the legislature failed to take into account that a person who is dying is not the same as a person who wants to get high on pain killers. We also recognize that not everyone responds to drugs the same way. Thus if a person is in an exceptional situation then they should be treated as an exception. We take the position that doctors and other medical professionals have a better understanding of the needs of the patient than lawmakers and that in order to have a stable society that can pursue the understanding of reality, people have to have the security of knowing that medical professionals have the freedom to make individual medical decisions that might override laws that apply to the general public. For example. Morphine is a highly addictive drug that is often abused by drug addicts. Morphine is also a powerful pain killer. So do we deny a dying person pain relief and watch them suffer a horrible death because the law has unreasonable restrictions? That would be crazy in our view. If a person is dying in pain it is our position that they should get all the pain medication they need even if it is against the law and even if the dosage of pain medication leads to the death of the patient. We in the Church of Reality put a higher value on the rights of the dying to control their own medical treatment free of the restrictions of law. When a person is in the last stages of life there are often no good choices. Death is inevitable. The individual who is dying has the right to choose how it will happen. An individual might choose to hasten their death because they have decided that their time is up and they no longer wish to continue the struggle. They might choose to have their life terminated at a time of their choosing and in the company of their friends and family who have gathered to help them with the dying process. A dying Realist has a religious right to control their own death. Realists have a religious right to give and receive life ending assistance as an act of compassion. We put out beloved animals to sleep to prevent unnecessary suffering. Our world view is that people deserve the same compassion. Drug restrictions are often politically based rather than based on science and reality. Marijuana is an example of a drug where the laws and reality are in conflict. As Realists we put reality ahead of politics. Marijuana has been proven to be a highly effective drug to treat a large number of medical conditions. The Church of Reality officially recognizes the use and benefits of medical marijuana and that we have the right to both receive it and to give it to others as an act of compassion.

 

Drug Addiction

The Church of Reality takes the position that becoming a drug addict is a really bad idea. This includes both legal and illegal drugs. Drug laws are intended to prevent people from destroying their lives due to the devastating effects that drug addiction has on the individual. One would think that if everyone though things through that no one would choose to become a drug addict. However drug addiction is a prevelent problem in society and often drug addicts are hurmful not just to themselves but to society in general.

 

Drug Dealing

There is a big difference between opposing bad drug law and dealing drugs for profit. The Church of Reality puts a high value on laws and justice. We understand the need for an orderly society. We also understand that sometimes it is necessary to break the law in order to serve a higher purpose. However, to profiteer off of bad law is not something that our religion supports. Church of Reality policy on drugs isn't as logically consistent as most of our other policies and principles. That's because drug laws and the reality of drugs are so disconnected. Drugs that should be legal aren't and drugs that should be prohibited are legal. So it is logically inconsistent for us to support the use of some illegal drugs while prohibiting the dealing of drugs. It is also inconsistent to support the obeying of laws and supporting the breaking of laws at the same time. As a reality based religion these inconsistencies are naturally troubling to us. So if we conditionally support the use of illegal drugs then do we not have to get them from drug dealers who we don't support? The short answer is in some cases yes. So therefor the right thing to do is to get what we need while keeping our interaction with drug traffickers to a minimum and taking into account the harm it does to society to fuel an illegal drug trade even in a drug that should be legal. Thus a person buying a pound of pot at no profit for 16 friends is not the same as someone importing a ton of pot to sell to total strangers. Similarly the profiteering off of legal drugs that should be illegal is also immoral. There is no difference morally between a tobacco farmer and a cocaine farmer. Both are producing a highly addictive drug that is harmful to society for profit. Marketing addictive drugs to children whether the drugs are legal or not is just plain wrong. Alcohol, for example, is a legal drug that when used properly is both enjoyable and has a positive effect. While at the same time when used improperly is highly addictive and devastating. Giving a child a little wine as part of a religious ceremony or even with a family dinner is perfectly natural. Giving a child hard liquor so they can get drunk is irresponsible. Marketing an alcohol product that is secretly targeted at minors is immoral.