Is it morally right to lie about drugs?

Or at least stretch the truth?

http://ncadi.samhsa.gov/govpubs/phd642/

This pages seriously stretches the truth. Any research into many of those drugs would prove exactly how untrue much of it is. Perhaps the whopping TWO citations clue you into the flimsiness of those facts.

So my questions is this: Is it right for the government to 'lie' or stretch the truth about drugs in order to deter teens from doing them?



NB: This is not a thread about whether drug use is right or wrong. Please do NOT move this thread into that area.

How do you know what you read on this site is true, What can you trust.

Don't just go off government or anti-government sites, independent look for scientists etc

I think that page's purpose it to deter people from taking halucugens, its hardly going to tell you you will see some wonderful things, music will sound much better and you'll have a wonderful time.

I cannot see anything widely inaccurate on there, it just doesn't give any pros.

I am talking from experience, not just talking rubbish, having taken mushrooms in my teens and Ecstasy in my twenties. While I found it quite nice, some friends really did have bad experiences, it depends on personality.

Just before everybody thinks I am some sort of druggy, I have taken Hallucinogens a total of 9 times during my whole life, and haven't touched them in 10 years

Heart and lung failure?

The biggest problem with the page is it lumps drugs like PCP with drugs like LCD and shrooms. With LCD and shrooms, it is nearly impossible to OD. Further, you can build a tolerance in the short term, but it will quickly go away.

Flashbacks? It has never been proven and is not considered a side-effect. Depression, anxiety, and psychosis as long-term symptoms? During the trip, sure. But it certainly doesn't stick with you.

I went through the DARE program here in the US. It is full of exaggerations and stretched truths. I certainly don't expect them to tell us the pros. But lying erodes trust and is ultimately counter-productive.

Which brings us back to the question. Is it morally right?

LSD was originally used in therapy. But it's possible to have psychological problems and such if you take too much. And I'd say dying because you think you can walk on air and step out a window could be a negative side effect.

But look at the government now. We're finding out how truthful some aspects of it really aren't, if all the current news stories are true...

I know it's not relevant but I'd rather be around a bunch of stoned people then one drunk person. How often do stoners get in fights? Never unless there's food involved

They never seem to focus on the effects of alcohol past driving. Instead they focus on drugs while pharmacists fill up "legal" ones
So why is alcohol more acceptable than pot? Bare in mind I don't do either

do i thinking lying is appropriate no

however, there are probably extreme cases where some of the "lie's" or "stretching the truth" did happen. if you have a undiagnosed heart disease then a raise in blood pressure could cause a coma or be fatal. This may not be the norm but it very well could happen. if that is the case to me it isn't a lie and is important to be aware of.

Is lying OK? You know the answer to that. But how do we know the statements on that site are truth?

I dont think the goverment should lie to us. Ive smoked pot and I drink alcohol, and it is definatly not as bad as they tell us in school. I think drugs are not nearly as bad as many people say. I have never tried shrooms, so I dont know how bad they are.

Patriots#1 said:

I dont think the goverment should lie to us. Ive smoked pot and I drink alcohol, and it is definatly not as bad as they tell us in school. I think drugs are not nearly as bad as many people say. I have never tried shrooms, so I dont know how bad they are.

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Very few things are bad when taken in moderation. Nearly anything is bad when taken in the extreme. Sadly, far to many folks lose sight of this and it's the extreme that always gets the attention.

Lying is never morally ok IMHO. I can be justified by someone's logic perhaps, but that doesn't make it moral necessarily.

No. They shouldn't lie. Cause some stupid person could abuse the system and then in court say the govt lied to him and he'll win on that technicality.

It's like everything. Is a lie better if it's in the public's best interests? If the truth could hurt. I say no. The truth hurts but people have a right to know.

the8thark said:

No. They shouldn't lie. Cause some stupid person could abuse the system and then in court say the govt lied to him and he'll win on that technicality.

It's like everything. Is a lie better if it's in the public's best interests? If the truth could hurt. I say no. The truth hurts but people have a right to know.

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Yes, the government denied my constitutionally protected right to get stoned by lying about the effects of drugs on the internet....

Is any of this morally right? No. Does it really matter? No. If it keeps a few kids from getting themselves into trouble, it's not a bad thing.

baggss said:

Yes, the government denied my constitutionally protected right to get stoned by lying about the effects of drugs on the internet....

Is any of this morally right? No. Does it really matter? No. If it keeps a few kids from getting themselves into trouble, it's not a bad thing.

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The problem I see is that over-exaggerating the effects of drugs, such as pot, ultimately impedes the ability for the government to warn teens of real problem drugs, such as heroin and oxycodone. Because of programs like DARE, kids come away with a mistrust of anti-drug programs.

No teen I have ever encountered has seriously cited anti-drug ads as a reason for not doing drugs. Teens simply find them laughable.

Just a thought...

cheesybanana said:

No teen I have ever encountered has seriously cited anti-drug ads as a reason for not doing drugs. Teens simply find them laughable.

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The ads by themselves, no. Just like one would hope that no one is going to base their voting decisions solely on the ads seen in the media. They do play a part in the larger education effort, laughable though they may be.