I’ve been seeing more and more talk lately about how certain things that used to be considered harmless "recreational" stuff are suddenly being treated as major criminal offenses. It feels like the goalposts for what's socially acceptable versus what's legally dangerous are shifting every single year.
It’s a weird gray area. On one hand, you have people who think they're just having a bit of fun and not causing any real harm to anyone. On the other hand, you have the reality of how much damage these substances can actually do to a person's health or even their safety in public spaces. I remember a buddy of mine who used to mess around with stuff like this back in college; it seemed like no big deal at the time, but looking back, the downward spiral that follows those kinds of habits is terrifyingly easy to start.
At what point does a city or a government decide that "personal choice" isn't a valid excuse anymore? Is it better to go heavy on the education side, or do we actually need more boots on the ground to stop this stuff before it gets out of hand?
It’s a weird gray area. On one hand, you have people who think they're just having a bit of fun and not causing any real harm to anyone. On the other hand, you have the reality of how much damage these substances can actually do to a person's health or even their safety in public spaces. I remember a buddy of mine who used to mess around with stuff like this back in college; it seemed like no big deal at the time, but looking back, the downward spiral that follows those kinds of habits is terrifyingly easy to start.
At what point does a city or a government decide that "personal choice" isn't a valid excuse anymore? Is it better to go heavy on the education side, or do we actually need more boots on the ground to stop this stuff before it gets out of hand?