Is it appropriate to discuss the negative side effects in this article? It's clearly a positive article about drugs - that's apparently just from the title. Must every article about a topic cover the positives and the negatives, even when it's a piece relating someone's personal experience that's clearly not intended to be unbiased news or science reporting?
Also, would you hold the same standard to drug-negative articles? Must they cover the positive side of drugs in a way that's realistic?
I won't accuse you of strawmanning but this misrepresents my statement.
It's would be weird to drop in figures about drug deaths in this article or something like that. I don't see why that would be relevant.
But it'd be good if there was some more critical reflecting done. Perhaps your drug days would be remembered less fondly if a friend died of an OD? Or maybe you were shielded from the criminal elements of drugs. Perhaps you avoided catching any of the lifechanging STDs that run rampant amongst drug users.
It's the "it can't possibly happen to me" mentality that these nostalgia-fueled articles have that rubs me the wrong way.
With that said, I do think anti-drug messaging needs to confront other positive aspects of drug use, particularly in controlled clinical settings. Many staunch anti-drug people haven't even heard of it because they simply don't encounter it in their usual reading material.
The thing that never worked for me in school was messaging like "drugs will kill you". Well yes that's true. But drugs are way more insidious than this. In my experience they are subtle in how they mess with your mind and over all well being. They take away my drive for natural highs, and natural highs are usually good things. For example exercise, accomplishments and learning. The come downs destroy free time. But worst is they seem to reset my happiness level to lower. Small things that should bring joy no longer do. Thankfully those effects have been temporary for me. I'm glad my drug use is over. I was only ever a weekend partier. Still managed to complete a degree and hold down a job. But I'm done with drugs for good.
> Perhaps your drug days would be remembered less fondly if a friend died of an OD?
Perhaps having a friend who died of an OD isn't actually that common amongst MDMA users on the dance scene?
Why does it rub you up the wrong way that this person has positive recollections?
Drug deaths from MDMA are not very common, certainly compared to drug deaths from (for example) alcohol. As such, someone who did ecstasy at dance clubs in their youth may be less likely to have lost a mate than those who drink. Maybe that’s why she doesn’t talk about that?
> it can't possibly happen to me
But there's the rub - 'it' didn't.
Are we all supposed to be sorry for having had a good time and come away happier for it?
Also, would you hold the same standard to drug-negative articles? Must they cover the positive side of drugs in a way that's realistic?