Pubdate: Fri, 06 Sep 2002 Source: Eau Claire Leader-Telegram (WI) Copyright: 2002 Eau Claire Press Contact: http://www.leadertelegram.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/236 Author: Chris Buors DRUGS DON'T DESTROY FREE WILL A recent letter-writer was too quick to conclude addiction is a brain disease. Addictions are a destroyer of will theory that finds receptive ears in theologic-based societies. Masturbatory insanity was the chief psychiatric destroyer of will before addictions came along. All the best minds in media, in medicine and in government believed in that myth as well. There is no such thing as a chemical capable of destroying free will. All drugs are combinations of chemicals found on the periodic table, none have any supernatural forces of allurement. Addiction is a social construct; a property of the culture. The only similarity is voodoo, a Haitian social construct that destroys will if you believe. The drug war is a moralizing crusade no different than the Christian Crusades, The Spanish Inquisition and Nazism. All scapegoat persecutions are modeled after St. George out to slay dragons. The letter-writer ought to consider the cruelness of his compassion; forcing people into religious conversion of morals is about as ugly as it gets in the history books. Harming people in the name of helping them is as old as mankind is itself. Perhaps American ought to consider restoring our natural right to drugs. It is a right mankind has owned since time began. Chris Buors Winnipeg, Manitoba - --- MAP posted-by: Alex