i should invoke this more when discussing responsible use. our dearth of norms surrounding clearly communicating best use guidelines and potential effects of substances isn’t just harmful when it comes to illegal/poorly-understood substances, but nearly all substances in general https://twitter.com/realjohnmonarch/status/1387423203421720585

the difference is small from an immediately practical standpoint between your doc prescribing high doses of paracetamol without warning of potential hepatotoxicity versus your dealer pushing mephedrone without warning of compulsive redosing and the frequently resultant psychosis

what additionally unites the two is that both such pitfalls are often eminently avoidable if one is given ample warning and info about what one is being compelled to put into their body, and that it is thus insensible to analogically similar degrees to outright ban either drug

yet for Reasons That We Can Only Guess (lol) you’ve probably only ever heard about the hapless stim user who took far too much mephedrone & proceeded to eat some guy’s face off and not about the massive dangers that tylenol can (and *do*) pose to your liver when used incautiously

this should, ideally, provoke some thoughtful reexamination of your beliefs on the place of drugs in society if your leanings favor any kind of prohibitive stance— it’s hardly more sensible than believing abstinence in lieu of sex ed is an effective guard against unsafe teen sex