Palin is on those substantive issues!

Listening to NPR this morning, a Libertarian Palin supporter called in to talk about all of the substantive issues that Palin is focused upon, naming among them that Palin is an admitted pot smoker. The caller said that because of her focus on such substantive issues, Palin is a great candidate for vice president, and the caller will be voting for the McCain/Palin ticket.

Yes. Pot smoking is a substantive issue that should help us determine who we vote for.

Native Americans' "Plight" of drug abuse

I mean "plight" in the best of ways, and don't know how better to phrase it. You may have imagined that I am referring to alcoholism, but I am in fact referring to drug addiction, namely heroin, in particular. This post is based, as they often are, on a NY Times post about the excessively high numbers of addicted people on an Indian reservation in New Mexico (in the study of the West, we do call them Indians, I know it seems/is politically incorrect, but it could also be un-PC to say Native American in this circle). It's striking to me because most articles are about alcoholism or addiction in general, but this high number of opiate/heroin addicted American Indians in one place is striking, especially to someone so obsessed with such things (me). This country has little or no resources to really deal with the drugs/drug problems that we have, but we fight one that locals in the area proclaim to help to some degree: Narcan. Narcan is a drug that helps in the event of an overdose of heroin, and can thereby save lives in the absence of EMS or other medical personnel. Granted, it can be argued that a drug that can save an overdosee abets drug abuse, but I argue that it is for the best. Drug abuse is a disease (yes, I subscribe to that philosophy, after reading hundreds and hundreds of pages on the subject), and anything we can do to help is GOOD. The argument that a drug that saves people from overdose is bad is fatally flawed; those overdosing need help and are more likely to seek it after such a close call. The other situation is that they are still using (having not overdosed) or are dead. The argument that they are better off dead is heartless. Just imagine your brother/sister/mother/father/uncle/aunt/cousin/best friend as the addict. I promise if it was them you'd care, and agree with me.

Drama- Heath Ledger Died

Paparazzi story! Heath Ledger died, and was found naked and surrounded by pills in Mary-Kate Olsen's apartment in SoHo. Apparently they don't know why he was in her apartment, cause she'd in LA. A masseuse and a housekeeper found him. Hmm, maybe I'll take the whole bottle of narcotics... Stupid thing to do when you have a 2-year-old.

"Free" Trade

Free trade zones have always been scary to me. Sure, they sound good. People think that they encourage global trade and grease the wheels of commerce. Perhaps, but there are too many negative consequences that people either overlook or are woefully unaware of. "Free" in free trade means unregulated, which means you don't know what the hell you're getting when it comes from or through a free trade zone. These zones are the antithesis to FAIR trade, which is something that I personally spend time championing and educating people about (it helps that my mom has a store stocked with lots of fair trade goodies, and that she is VERY opposed to "made in China"). Fair trade, for those of you who are unaware, means that the person/people making the goods are paid a living wage in their country of residence, and that they are treated fairly and ethically. Slave labor and child labor are huge problems in the world (this country is not excepted, by the way), and people need to be made aware (though I'm not sure I can do anything about the rampant apathy that people feel toward the children who weave their rugs - small fingers!).

Anyway, here is a New York Times article about free trade zones that raises yet another concern, related to counterfeit drugs. I know a number of people who order their drugs from Canadian pharmacies, and it's scary that the drugs they need to survive could be counterfeit, thanks to the black hole of free trade zones. It's such a shame that our country has not figured out how to serve its citizens so that we don't have to take such risks, but I know that the reason my friends use Canadian pharmacies is that they might otherwise have to choose whether or not to take their drugs at all, because they are so expensive here. I'm a relatively healthy 25-year old, I exercise, I eat well, I sleep enough, but still the drugs I take my mom pays for, because otherwise I would be making the choice- drugs or food? And she knows that, and sucks it up for me. What a country!

Absinthe

Absinthe is finding its way back into the United States, legally, and with the traditional old wormwood-containing recipes. For those of you who think that absinthe is hallucinogenic and exclusive, you can have your fun. I for one like some absinthe, but have never found it to be particularly hallucinogenic. I do, however, like this NYT op-ed about it, and its bohemian mystique. That is, after all, the greatest part about absinthe-it's links to great modernist artists, many of whom hold the status "favorite" in my book. Ensconced worshippers beware, it does debunk the theory that wormwood is such a powerful drug. Absinthe is great, but it's mostly just a super charged liquor, not a magical green-fairy producing substance. I think it was a natural predisposition to departing lucidity that produced those tales we hear, and not anything inherent in the liquor. But, like I said, it's still great stuff, and now we can get it stateside.

A question...

Why does eye dilation (like at the eye doctor) make me feel stoned? Today I felt like I smoked a lot of weed. And looked like I ate some good mushrooms. Then I had to sleep it off. How can those little drops do that?