Cocaine "now the biggest killer by far" says coroner.

Terry

Requiem4adream wrote: »

lmfao. well played sir!

They kept taking it down.

Original text:

'''Terry's law''' (Also known as '''Terry's theory of ridiculous internet arguements № 1''')

Based on Godwin's Law which states that: <blockquote>"As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one."</blockquote> This adage shows that when an online discussion about the legalisation of certain drugs is created, it is inevitable that someone will instantly pipe in and state how it is really unfair that Alcohol, Tobacco and Caffeine are legal, while Cannabis, Cocaine and Heroin are still illegal in most places.

After a certain amount of time, the discussion becomes cyclical and utterly pointless, with both sides being completely unmoved by the arguement put forward by the opposing side.

Many will argue that prohibition has been proven to fail and point ot the rise of criminal gangs in early 20th Century United states of America, through illegal distillation and distribution of alcohol, coupled with speakeasies.

The other side will often point out that the prohibition of many recreational drugs is in the interest of the safety of the majority of the population.

Basically, and again in a similar vein to Godwin's law, this law states that the first person to argue for the legalisation of certain recreational drugs by using alcohol, tobacco or caffeine as a reference point instantly loses the arguement.


==History==
Terry has stated that he created this law after seeing one too many inane arguements on the Irish based website boards.ie


==Corollaries and usage==
Terry's law applies especially to inappropriate, inordinate, or hyperbolic comparisons of ancient laws, archaic traditions and times when less was known about the dangers of synthetic drugs.


== See also ==
* Internet troll
* List of adages named after people
* Godwin's law


==External links==
* [http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=54734397&postcount=41 Where the idea for this article arose]

Terry

Terry wrote: »

They kept taking it down.

Original text:

Adding nonsense to wikipedia is mega cool :):)

Dave!

Still waiting for Ostrich Law to go up........!!!

Wertz

Is it really such a surprise that cocaine is such a big killer? Given that it's usually used in conjunction with alcohol and usually Irish amounts of alcohol and given that in a lot of cases it's also used alongside ecstasy, both of which are killers in themselves, added to the huge increase in usage across so many classes of the populous, it would be more surprising that it wasn't such a big killer.
It's the way it's reported here that is inaccurate as already pointed out by so many.
When I heard this originally (in the radio reports during the inquest into the two guys that went for a cool-off in the canal) I knew that the gutter press would jump on it the next day and blow it out of proprtion, especially in the wake of Ms French.

Windsock's link to teh death stats is interesting....some of the biggest killers on that list are "lifestyle" diseases; lung/liver cancer, heart disease and other smoking/drinking related diseases and they seriously dwarf our combined road death, suicide and drug poisoning figures...but yet we never see glaring headlines about those lifestyle diseases...everyone just heads off down the pub or off out to the beer garden for a fag and talks in shock-horror tones about the evil drugs killing everyone.

Terry's Law is all well and good but it's his own personal viewpoint on the whole thing; he doesn't like people messing about with illegal recreational drugs or advocating their usage and he certainly doesn't like anyone pointing the finger at his lifestyle choices and directly comparing them to those who decide to break the law in search of their escape/high/downer. He's entitled to that opinion and I can see why he get's a bit annoyed when people start spouting on about anadins and cups of tea in a debate on dangerous substances, but really, the comparisons with alcohol and tobacco are somewhat warranted in terms of comparable damage caused by those substances on a scalable amount with illegal drugs.

Karl Hungus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0sF165AiIk

FYI, the coke that the admins provide to the moderators of boards.ie is 100% columbian gold, and perfectly safe.

Terry

Wertz wrote: »

Terry's Law is all well and good but it's his own personal viewpoint on the whole thing; he doesn't like people messing about with illegal recreational drugs or advocating their usage and he certainly doesn't like anyone pointing the finger at his lifestyle choices and directly comparing them to those who decide to break the law in search of their escape/high/downer. He's entitled to that opinion and I can see why he get's a bit annoyed when people start spouting on about anadins and cups of tea in a debate on dangerous substances, but really, the comparisons with alcohol and tobacco are somewhat warranted in terms of comparable damage caused by those substances on a scalable amount with illegal drugs.

I don't really get annoyed. I just think it's ridiculous to compare cocaine to alcohol, caffeine to nicotine, alcohol to heroin etc.
They are completely different substances that just happen to fall under the same catergory.

Peas and carrots are both vegetables, but one grows below the ground and the other grows above the ground in pods.
The most important thing is that they have different nutritional values.

Comparing peas and carrots is pretty much akin to comparing alcohol and cocaine.


Edit: I also don't care what any of you do in your spare time. Just don't come near me if you are using illegal drugs.

Wertz

Alright, but when someone keeps spouting ridiculous things to me ad nauseum, I tend to get a "bit annoyed"....perhaps exasperated is a better word in your case.

I don't think cocaine should be dropped from the prohibited list although I've taken it in the past and will probably take it in the future. That said, I don't think the prohibition of cocaine has worked, and in some respects it has been counterproductive. Perhaps it's illegality has kept the masses safe (or used to) but that illegality has also lead to the social problems surrounding it's trade both here and abroad. It can be argued that it's use ,illegal or not ,has lead to social and health problems amongst it's users; legal status would be unlikely to positively affect that.
It's between a rock and a hard place. Legal or non-criminal status wouldn't work, whatever about it working for weed, or maybe E and heroin, IMO....although perhaps a drop off in it's notoriety might make it a less desirable thing for people to try.

On your vegetables analogy, yeah fair enough, I don't think you can compare coke with alcohol, two widely varying effects, one obviously a fair bit more likely to directly harm or kill you...but I notice you also get a "bit annoyed", exasperated, whatever, when comparisons are made with cannabis and alcohol. I do think comparisons between the two can and should be made WRT the legal status of cannabis....but that's for another (another!) thread...

Terry

Screw wikipedia up their stupid arses.

Keith186

It's funny the way they say the gangs use drugs to fund illegal activity.
They don't make loads of money from drugs then say 'right lads lets use all this money for illegal stuff'. They just sell drugs to make money and rob banks when they blow all the other money to fund a new order for drugs again.

Dave!

Good job Terry. I look forward to you linking to that in future threads whenever you want to avoid a debate. Usually you just quote the selective parts that you can answer, or else make some reference to us all being stoners (usually while you're drunk, god you're such a laugh, har har), but this should make it much more interesting.

windsurfer99ie

... in drug related deaths - you have to read the whole sentence, not just the first clause. When this was reported on RTE Radio it was clear that they don't include alcohol or cigarettes.

Wertz

Now don't any of you drug crazed youngsters go hilariously editing that wiki entry. Terry is holding several kittens hostage and threatening to drown them in a vat of gin should that come to pass.

Terry

DaveMcG wrote: »

Good job Terry. I look forward to you linking to that in future threads whenever you want to avoid a debate. Usually you just quote the selective parts that you can answer, or else make some reference to us all being stoners (usually while you're drunk, god you're such a laugh, har har), but this should make it much more interesting.

That's the plan.