Some notes on drug use

There is no drug problem in the UK in my opinion. Everyone who wants
them can get them. The problem is they are illegal and that makes it a
hassle but not a barrier to someone who's determined to enjoy a drug
habit whether it's hard drugs that offer a profound shift in experience
or the milder ones like cannabis or alcohol.

The profit margins I assume are far higher for the harder entheogons.
Take cocaine for example. A point I've heard made by Howard Marx, the
UK's most famous drug dealer and author of Mr. Nice, is a plane load of
uncut Columbian cocaine is enough to keep the whole of the UK supplied
for a year (whereas a plane load of cannabis is enough for me). These
are aggressively marketed, for example by offers of free tasters of high
quality cocaine to get people into the high.

Yet the UK is not high on coke (no matter what the Daily Mail headlines
might say). The highest rate of hospitalisation is for alcohol then
cannabis. Hospitalisations for other drug-related mental illnesses pale
in comparison. The stronger enthogeons I would guess would be more
likely to cause problems that are labelled as mental illnesses. Most
people of the people who choose to use drugs habitually or chronically
use the softer drugs.

The majority of long term drug users use alcohol and a minority use
cannabis. A very small proprotion of long term drug users use hard drugs.

Chronic use is rare in professional circles though it is often hidden.
It is more common in poorer areas.

Drug use is highly stigmatised. Addiction is highly stigmatised by
mental health professionals. It was only 150 years ago that alcoholism
began to be accepted as a mental illness. A lack of compassion is common.