Today we are publishing the tenth issue of the magazine Drugs – Policies and Practices. This number was dedicated to „Drugs Integral to Culture”.
Drugs are integral to culture, but you really don’t have to agree with this. It is absolutely irrelevant whether you accept the arguments asserting that even alcohol, coffee and cigarettes, or sedatives you take more or less often to relax or fall asleep, are drugs. It is all drugs and the excuse of not being interested in such “claims” or avoiding more serious arguments in discussions you yourself have initiated will not provide you with immunity from the responsibility that you also participate in the reproduction and development of the drug use culture. Yes, that is correct. You are participants and bear the responsibility. No, you’re not sinners and you shouldn’t be condemned. You, like all others, simply replicate the cultural patterns you have acquired from the environment you grew up in.
True, since the middle of the 20th century this environment has expanded due to the development of mass media, such as radio, television and particularly the internet. If you don’t like the fact that “young people are increasingly taking drugs” and you fear that your children “will become junkies” and are looking for more repressive measures against people who use drugs – stop. Stop and ask yourself about the role you have played in the development of the drug use culture. We won’t judge. We simply offer a different perspective from the one you have.
This is also an invitation. We invite you to make an effort and learn more about drugs and how they shape human culture – learn more about yourselves. For those of you already aware that drugs are integral to human culture, we offer several arguments at your disposal when discussing this issue with the uninformed. Let us speak frankly. Only then we might be able to make a change. Only then we might be able to free ourselves from drug-related fears. It could help us build a healthier society. We have faith.
From the Editorial
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