In Defense of Smoking vs Prescription Drugs

I had this thought that America was more civil when everyone smoked.

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Ejeet! There never was a time in America when the majority smoked let alone "everyone". A statement such as the quote simply reduces any other observations of the author. Even one with validity, not that there was such in the quote.
Opioids: Patients see the doctors and demand them. Hardly anyone tolerates pain any longer. They want it stopped and stopped NOW! I have a full prescription of some sort of opiod, Oxycondone?, from when I broke my hip. An Aleve now and then did just fine. But, people these days simply will not tolerate a doctor who can't stop the pain and quickly. Blaming the doctors and then the pharma companies is way too simple an explanation. They are simply providing what the consumer demands.
Opioid abuse is a problem for a small minority of people. It's headlines today, an epidemic, because of the press. 24/7 mews requires that many molehills must be made mountains. Well, until the next news cycle.

I don't understand the need to defend smoking, let alone compare it it to prescription drug abuse.

I'm not claiming that nicotine and pipe smoking can solve all of our problems

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I don't think nicotine and pipe smoking can solve ANY of our problems, lets not pretend otherwise.

The op's argument is flawless. This is precisely the type of well reasoned and well ordered thinking we need. OP, if I didn't know better I might suspect you were currently highly placed within the (or a) cabinet.

I have to agree with @quint as well. In the past, people drank more, smoked more, ate whole food, walked around more and had much more in common with their neighbors (see Putnam). As a result, they were not all neurotic. I would much rather trust a pipe than medications designed to regulate my thinking to keep me from noticing the yawning abyss widening beneath us.

"Prescription opioids have been proven to make certain people more prone to anger and violence, especially when abused."
I take eight different tablets a day and one of them is a powerful opioid painkiller and if anything it relaxes me. It certainly doesn't turn me into a raving madman.
"It seems to me that pharmaceutical companies are profiting greatly from fewer and fewer people partaking in the use of tobacco and nicotine for relaxation and stress relief."
Is there any concrete evidence of this?
The way I see it is America for whatever reasons has always had more than its fair share of violent people.
"Can this US city go 72 hours without a murder?"
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-40866111
Regards,
Jay.

We certainly have plenty of them.

The relationship between tobacco use, moderate or otherwise, and prescribed drugs properly used, or over-prescribed, or used illegally is probably too deep a mystery to sort out amidst all of the other variables of human behavior. I think trying to shift around the blame doesn't really help. My suspicion is that moderate pipe smoking is probably more healthful than many or most anti-anxiety or anti-depression drugs, but I'm not out to prove the case.

I smoke plenty, but it's no substitute for my Zoloft. Say what you will, but modern mental health care is improved over the past, though it it still far from perfect.

The way I see it is America for whatever reasons has always had more than its fair share of violent people.

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We keep them here as a deterrent to other nations.
I am concerned by the side effects seen on my generation using SSRIs. Hard to prove a cause, but enough to make me favor a pipe.
However, that is not why I smoke a pipe. It's just fun and both calming and exciting, so I enjoy it. Not to mention all of the delicious tobacco options...

Jay: I doubt that we are much more, if at all, violent then England at the same age. (The crime rate in London is soaring these days I notice.) But, we are a country founded through violence. Jefferson thought a good, bloody, revolution now and then might be quite good for the nation. With regard to the Civil War I believe he was proven correct. Also, we've never found a war, somewhere, that we didn't relish. The doves get to shine, reaping some press and moneys, and the warmongers get to perfect the weapons and tactics. It's a win-win situation for both of the extremes.
Seriously, we are a country that believes in law and order but, refuses to pay for it. Ireland reduced the level of police and is starting to pay the price. London used to have a "bobby" on most every block. NYC the same. Ergo, many people believe in providing for their own safety. Cutting certain budget areas will always come back to bite the government in the butt. It is simply a manifestation of governments taking on more responsibilities (read: buying votes) than they can afford much less adequately manage and so cuts must be made or taxes raised.
Also, most of the lawlessness is kept contained in certain sections of cities, not where the wealthy, the middle class and the politicians reside. This was true in Dodge City in the 1880s as it is today. The mayor of Chicago is content to let the South Side take care of itself. The current mayor is doing nothing different than the mayors which preceded him.
Chicago found it cheaper and easier to simply tear down Cabrini Green (a notorious low income neighborhood above the river, if I remember correctly), dispersing good people and some really bad ones. Washington DC, in order to calm the city routinely tears down ghetto-like neighborhood or other low cost housing. Then they erect an office building. By doing so they force the poor, the gangs, etc. into Maryland and Northern Va. or other climes, Pennsylvania, New York City, etc.
While the US has no corner on the violence market, many do savor our reputation. Not sure why, in the days of the "old West" people did not tolerate such a level of violence. They hired "shootists" as sheriffs and such. Most every man was a veteran of the wars, Civil and Indian, and possessed the wherewithal to defend himself and what was his. Despite Hollywood bad guys, by and large, had very short careers. The town of Northfield, Minnesota simply picked up their weapons and shot the bank robbers to ribbons.
The US and most of the civilized world has simply become much more tolerant of "bad" people. The goals of the various justice systems are now leaning towards rehabilitating those with anti-social and violent behaviors. The protection of the public is secondary now. We must understand, mitigate such behaviors. That's not a civilized response, it's a lazy one. No one wants to be the hangman. Few want to sit in judgement of any other's behavior.
Hangman is a profession I'd learn and happily execute (see what I did there?) in my dotage, if only for the betterment of society. Well, and a bit personal pride in a job well done.

"The US and most of the civilized world has simply become much more tolerant of "bad" people. "
That is the most sensible and accurate bunch of words I have ever seen strung together in my entire life.

We're all equal.

Hangman is a profession I'd learn and happily execute (see what I did there?) in my dotage, if only for the betterment of society. Well, and a bit personal pride in a job well done.

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I always said I would eat a Twinkie and throw the switch on the electric chair for most of those ingrates who earned it. Ohio just whacked a guy who raped and killed a three year old little girl. No sympathy for that sorry piece of shit who tried every way he could to get out of being executed. :evil:

I think switch throwing and injections are simply wrong. They deprive the public of an often entertaining spectacle and teaching moment. People used to come for miles, bring a lunch and the kids to watch the guillotine, an old fashioned hanging, or beheading. Sure, there were still criminals but the ones executed had a surprisingly low recidivism rate. I'm thinking it was zero.
No there's a science to a proper. The quality of the rope, the placement of the know, length of the drop must be correct for the weight. Anyone can throw a switch or poke a syringe. But, a good hangman needs training, experience. I might not get it quite right the first few but, I learn from my mistakes and quickly. Soon I'd be qualified for multiple drops. I'd want only expenses, no salary, in deference to poor, financially pressed governments. I'd grow a hump on my back, drag one foot and speak indistinctly, ala Robert Ridgley (see: Blazing Saddles and Robin Hood, Men in Tights. Sheer entertainment it would be.

"We keep them here as a deterrent to other nations."
The way things are heading at the moment you might just need each and every one of them 8O
"Jay: I doubt that we are much more, if at all, violent then[sic] England at the same age. (The crime rate in London is soaring these days I notice.)"
Warren this is quite true, but the murder rate per head of population in the US is way way higher than here in the UK. Almost daily we get to read such stories but the most worrying aspect of it is how many of these murders are attributed to the law enforcement folks who are supposed to be protecting the populace.
Then of course guns are more prolific in the States which in my view is not very healthy. Shoot someone with a gun and you are much more likely to kill them than if you stab them with a knife which is the preferred method for criminals over here. Yes, occasionally guns are used but very rarely.
Regards,
Jay.

i think this thread makes a point and that is there is no question that can't be answered by generalities. The question, to my mind, is what value is there in generalities at all?

" ...how many of these murders are attributed to the law enforcement folks who are supposed to be protecting the populace."
Jay, if the information you are getting over there is that our police are wiping out the very cream of American citizenry, you are being sadly misinformed. When a 6' 2", 250 lb. thug tries to wrest a police officer's gun away and winds up getting shot, that is protecting the populace.

When a 6' 2", 250 lb. thug tries to wrest a police officer's gun away and winds up getting shot, that is protecting the populace.

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