Ok, so we should regulate the hell out of meth, heroin, ecstasy, etc. It doesn't make sense to federally ban a drug like LSD considering how little harm it causes compared to the drug alcohol.

> how little harm it causes compared to the drug alcohol.

but what harm per dose? May be the harm is high, but there's so few users that nothing shows up in aggregate.

It is far easier to use psychedelics irresponsible then it is with alcohol. Most people crash at some point when drunk, but usually do not undress and walk out onto a busy street... The tendency of psychedelics to unearth mental health problems is IMO too much of an issue given how many people have untreated issues these days.

I've taken most common drugs. LSD, MDMA, shrooms, cocaine, amphetamines, list goes on.

None of them, except maybe some prescription pills like benzos, take control away from me the way alcohol does.

None of them have had me wake up in some random place with no idea how I got there. None of them have made me do things I don't remember, none of them have made me do and say things I regret.

Alcohol has caused all of that and more. The only reason I still drink alcohol is because it's the only socially acceptable drug. I'd much rather do coke or molly, to me those feel significantly safer than alcohol. And they're better, and they don't ruin the next day to the same degree alcohol does, at least not in my experience.

And yes, alcohol absolutely can make people undress and walk out into a busy street. It can also make people aggressive. One time my father came home shitfaced, furious at me for no apparent reason, punched a hole in my bedroom window, came into my room and started screaming at me while bleeding everywhere from punching the glass, then grabbed me by the neck and started choking. I can't remember how it played put after that but I ended up spending the night at my aunt's place. The next day he was in shambles, he would never do anything like that sober. And for the next few years until I moved out, I was anxious every time he went out.

I still do illegal drugs. Not very frequently, I'm a regular guy who works a decent job, is dependable etc. I'm not going to work high or anything like that. Just like most people don't get drunk at work. I know many people with similar lifestyles. I'd bet the majority of illegal drug users are just like me, they have their fun in a responsible way and live normal lives. Just like with alcohol the really messed up addicts are the exception, not the norm.

It is a statistical bias. The vast majority of psychedelics users don't undress and walk around naked. But you often don't notice them precisely because psychs are illegal and people don't advertise their use. It is however widely accepted to drink in public. Everybody who's been in a busy downtown on Saturday night would agree that alcohol definitely brings up violence in some people. And yet it is typically brushed off because most people manage to drink responsibly. Unless you are in the psychedelic community, you just don't know what the majority of psychedelic users are like.

Go to a psytrance festival and see for yourself. I've been to many and I haven't seen people running around naked. If anything, I feel safer there than on many large events where people drink.

I am inclined to not believe that due to my anecdotal evidence. I lost a dear friend at the age of 17 due to him trying the McKenna mushroom dose, and ending up jumping out of the window on the 7th floor. I life in a country where alcohol use is not unheard of, but after roughly 40 years living here, I still dont know anyone how died from alcohol intoxication in a similar way. Alcohol casualties are usually a long-term effect.

Well, trading stories, I've lost two close friends to drunk driving accidents and one because he slipped into an icy river when drunk.

I'm really sorry about your loss. Situations like that are awful. I think it's really important for people interested in psychedelics to try them in a safe environment with people who have experience with the given drug and are willing to stay sober and keep an eye out. Every time I've encountered psychedelics (hundreds of occasions) it's been in situations like this, and they prevent tragedies.

Those of us who are arguing for legalization are basically arguing for society to create these kinds of safety nets writ large. Rather than counting on having a wookie friend nearby you can straight up call up 411 or something before doing a drug. I know it sounds ridiculous but if people are going to do these things anyway... I mean we're happy to have society teach eachother how to have sex safely, why not drugs? And that includes alcohol.

I've experimented with both psychedelics and alcohol (never together). It was alcohol that eventually caused a psychotic break. Scary stuff.

Moreover, dry counties exist.

You can still drink in dry counties and possession of alcohol is not illegal. Lack of liquor licenses is not the same thing has the criminalization of other substances.

The equivalent to that are towns that forbid the sale of marijuana in states that legalized it. It's still legal to use and possess.

Great point thank you for making the distinction.