That’s sort of the lie that is a harm to many.
Drug dealers tend to get conceptualize as hardened sociopathic criminals and often as cartoon evil- people who exist just to deal drugs and cause harm. Always scheming how to make more addictive or deadly drugs or push drugs on “innocent people” or trick new clients. Most drug dealers just want or need money. Some live in poverty and fit that trope but many are middle class or wealthy and just want pocket change or a second income. Many middle or upper class drug dealers don’t even necessarily prioritize the money so much. For them it can be a way to meet people, network, get invited to parties or travel in certain social circles.
The “pusher” is a somewhat rare trope outside of areas like sex trafficking and slavery. There is enough demand and curiosity for drugs that clients are not really a general issue. Why sell drugs to people you need to convince? That’s lots of work and they may report you. You know who rarely reports the dealer? People looking for dealers to buy drugs from to use. And your clients will often use drugs socially and take the initiative to find new users through curiosity or peer pressure etc.
The major harms there are that when trying to warn young people about drugs, intuition and data show that such exaggerated approaches backfire.
Firstly, as this meme suggests- when you lie to people and their own experience contradicts what you told them- you lose trust and they doubt what you say- even the true stuff. Telling them just one use Can make you an addict or that you’ll die or ruin your life or that drugs aren’t fun etc etc- when they see friends and people around them not unraveling or becoming violent killers and rapists or bums, being happy and having fun, not being addicts- or have those experiences themselves- then your entire eduction on drugs becomes lies even the true parts.
Taking a relatively benign drug like weed, it is hard to get into much trouble in life with weed. It can be done but is hard.
But coke- coke can easily spiral into a very bad place health wise and life wise. Or it can be an ocasional party drug. But can you imagine the outrage of schools taught kids that coke can be fun but isn’t great for your health, that if you’re going to use use from a trusted source and consider using test kits for purity, and never use cocaine more than X times a month or some other guideline to avoid being a coke head and mitigate heart damage but still be able to take a bump here and there?
So we tell kids it’s evil and they get some- not from a sleazy rapist with a tiger in an abandoned warehouse but from the cute guy/girl at school or their friends or from a parents stash etc. and they try it and have a fun night and don’t feel addicted or the need to do anything for more- and the trap is potentially set.
So we set kids up so when the people most likely to offer them drugs do so, it’s not what they are prepared to look for or guard against. It isn’t generally a guy in s pimp suit trying to tell you he has some candy for you or a “jock” saying that if you were cool you’d do it. And we set these expectations of what drugs are like that fall apart the moment anyone takes drugs or spends time sprung others that do unless you’re a non user who hangs around crack heads all day.
But it’s harmful too because of how we view and treat drug dealers and how the justice system treats them. Because the perception is this gangster mastermind or predator, a career criminal and poisoner who lives to harm others. When probably they are just some person who in one of many ways found themselves selling drugs.
They have friends and responsibilities and a life and routine and often this is just part of that. They likely don’t even particularly like selling drugs. They may or may not enjoy aspects of it or certain potential perks, but it usually isn’t their life. They usually like to watch sports, spend time with friends and family, travel, watch movies, listen to music….
So I mean- it isn’t to say that illegal drugs aren’t generally a poison and a threat. It is an unregulated industry where your average worker has little or no knowledge beyond anecdotal observation.
It isn’t to say that the drug supply chain doesn’t involve death and crime or tend to generate more.
It isn’t that people can’t hurt themselves or others while on drugs or that lives don’t get destroyed or that all drug dealers are super great people.
It’s that the conception of all drug dealers as such tends to lead to overly harsh treatment that often causes more problems than it solves.
So certainly many people are surprised by their first experiences or encounters of proximity to drugs and drug dealers by the disparity between reality and what is commonly portrayed or taught and that is actually a big problem because drugs can be very dangerous and illegal drugs trade causes alot of harm.
Drug dealers tend to get conceptualize as hardened sociopathic criminals and often as cartoon evil- people who exist just to deal drugs and cause harm. Always scheming how to make more addictive or deadly drugs or push drugs on “innocent people” or trick new clients. Most drug dealers just want or need money. Some live in poverty and fit that trope but many are middle class or wealthy and just want pocket change or a second income. Many middle or upper class drug dealers don’t even necessarily prioritize the money so much. For them it can be a way to meet people, network, get invited to parties or travel in certain social circles.
Firstly, as this meme suggests- when you lie to people and their own experience contradicts what you told them- you lose trust and they doubt what you say- even the true stuff. Telling them just one use Can make you an addict or that you’ll die or ruin your life or that drugs aren’t fun etc etc- when they see friends and people around them not unraveling or becoming violent killers and rapists or bums, being happy and having fun, not being addicts- or have those experiences themselves- then your entire eduction on drugs becomes lies even the true parts.
But coke- coke can easily spiral into a very bad place health wise and life wise. Or it can be an ocasional party drug. But can you imagine the outrage of schools taught kids that coke can be fun but isn’t great for your health, that if you’re going to use use from a trusted source and consider using test kits for purity, and never use cocaine more than X times a month or some other guideline to avoid being a coke head and mitigate heart damage but still be able to take a bump here and there?
So we tell kids it’s evil and they get some- not from a sleazy rapist with a tiger in an abandoned warehouse but from the cute guy/girl at school or their friends or from a parents stash etc. and they try it and have a fun night and don’t feel addicted or the need to do anything for more- and the trap is potentially set.
They have friends and responsibilities and a life and routine and often this is just part of that. They likely don’t even particularly like selling drugs. They may or may not enjoy aspects of it or certain potential perks, but it usually isn’t their life. They usually like to watch sports, spend time with friends and family, travel, watch movies, listen to music….
It isn’t to say that the drug supply chain doesn’t involve death and crime or tend to generate more.
It isn’t that people can’t hurt themselves or others while on drugs or that lives don’t get destroyed or that all drug dealers are super great people.
It’s that the conception of all drug dealers as such tends to lead to overly harsh treatment that often causes more problems than it solves.
So certainly many people are surprised by their first experiences or encounters of proximity to drugs and drug dealers by the disparity between reality and what is commonly portrayed or taught and that is actually a big problem because drugs can be very dangerous and illegal drugs trade causes alot of harm.