Here’s a good example of why drug prohibition is bad not only for people, but the environment.

Meet nitrous oxide. It’s a nearly harmless drug that you probably know as “laughing gas.” Dentists & hospitals use it, and it’s sold in little metal canisters to make whipped cream. 1/

It’s also a fun high.

People have been using nitrous as an anesthetic and recreational drug for over two centuries. It’s so safe, women use it in labour.

But because it’s illegal to sell it for recreational consumption, there’s only one way recreational users can buy it... 2/

...in those tiny canisters meant for making whipped cream.

The entire whippit industry is based on a lie that we all pretend is true: that these things are sold only to be used by bakers.

Lol.

3/

Not even the companies believe that. But because of prohibition, the don’t-ask-don’t-tell continues.

And who pays the ultimate price from this stupid policy? The environment.

The canisters can’t be recycled because of safety concerns, so millions of them end up in landfills. 4/

We COULD change the laws and allow nitrous to be sold in larger, recyclable containers.

We COULD stop this charade, start being practical and allow recreational users to buy it in ways that don’t help destroy the environment.

But because of drug prohibition, we don’t. 5/

Because of a set of laws that were only implemented in the first place as an excuse to lock up & disenfranchise the poor and people of colour, we all just let this happen.

Realistically, we are never going to stop people from using this safe and fun drug. Why should we? 6/

Our drug laws right now aren't based on safety. We know the're not, as alcohol is sold everywhere and people are still sitting in jail for having a joint on them.

But more importantly, humans have been getting high since the dawn of time and that is

N E V E R

going to stop. 7/

We need to start looking at drug laws for what they are:

A way to control certain populations on demand (poor & people of colour).

A way to make rich people stay rich (Big Pharma, alcohol companies, private prisons).

And an absolute disaster in every conceivable way. 8/

Here are some things you can do to help end drug prohibition:

• Demand not just cannabis legalization from your politicians, but full drug decriminalization.

• Educate your friends and family about the issues. Here are some tips for how: https://hilaryagro.wordpress.com/2017/09/08/how-to-convince-people-that-drugs-need-to-be-legalized-a-guide-for-getting-normies-on-board/

• Don’t use stigmatizing language (addict, junkie, druggie etc), and call it out when you see it.

• Support politicians that openly critique capitalism, which is what drives the War on Drugs. The evil needs to be named.

• Recommend the movie @13THFilm to everyone you know.

• Don’t separate drugs into “the good ones” and “the bad ones.” All drugs can be used in beneficial or problematic ways. There are no “bad drugs,” only bad policies.

• Learn about the racist origins of the War on Drugs.

• Listen to drug users. We are human.

Realize that if you use alcohol or caffeine, you are a drug user too.

Think about why you won’t be arrested for using your drug of choice, and others will. People whose lives matter.

Demand change.

Note: Yes, there are some minor risks of using nitrous oxide regularly. Using too much is not good. This applies to every drug in existence.

Relative to how much you have to use to experience harms, nitrous is pretty safe. That's why it's so common in medicine & dentistry.

Almost everything we do and consume has negative side-effects. Red meat has harms. Sugar has harms. *Everything* not consumed in moderation has harms.

But recreational drugs are defined in the public consciousness almost ENTIRELY by their harms. This framing needs to shift.

Everyone is well aware that there are risks from using drugs, but the disproportionate focus on those risks is mostly a product of “reefer madness”-style propaganda & stigma meant to justify keeping most drugs illegal. This is exactly the kind of stigma that furthers prohibition.