So now the government is trying to ban Salvia because of a bunch of YouTube videos of people taking it and acting like jackasses.
“When you see it, well, it sure makes a believer out of you,” said Representative Charles Anderson of Waco, a Republican state lawmaker who is sponsoring one of several bills to ban salvia in Texas.
How about this, for every YouTube video of some idiot taking Salvia and acting stupid I’ll find you two videos of some idiot getting drunk and acting stupid. Hell for every Salvia video I’ll find you one of somebody not taking anything and still acting stupid. It’s not the drugs, it’s not the booze, there are just a bunch of stupid people out there. Banning this stuff isn’t going to fix that. It’s just going to create more criminals and another black market for organized crime to tap into.
He also told his colleagues about a video that depicts a salvia user behind the wheel of a car. (In fact, that video, “Driving on Salvia,” is one in a series of popular parodies …) … “What we really worry about,” Mr. Anderson said at the hearing, “is youngsters doing this and then getting in a vehicle or getting on a motorcycle or jumping in a pool somewhere.”
How about as an alternative to banning this substance we instead teach the youngsters that it’s stupid and dangerous to operate said vehicle while impaired. We could also try explaining the risks to them. If they are old enough to be operating vehicles then they should be able to comprehend the risks. Tell them that while you may not want them experimenting with these drugs, if they do they need to be careful. Don’t go driving, don’t start playing with weapons or matches, don’t go hang out by the pool. Trying to protect them by just banning these substances isn’t going to help. In fact it’s going to leave them ill prepared to recognize and evaluate risks throughout their lives.
