Professional people and drug use

[Beebee6]

I work in banking and moved to London a year ago for a career opportunity. I’m in my early 30s and have never thought of myself as particularly naive but I’m genuinely shocked by how many of my colleagues regularly use drugs. By drugs, I'm mostly referring to cocaine. They all talk about this very openly as if it’s a perfectly normal and acceptable thing to do at the weekend, after work or when they have spare time without the kids. On the rare occasions when I have been along to social events after work, it’s always offered around and I appear to be the only one not partaking. None of these people are particularly ‘young’ either (most 30s-40s) and are all very successful professional people, who in my (perhaps judgemental) opinion, aren’t the typical drug using types. Some are single but many have families. I mentioned this to a friend of mine who seemed to think that this is now commonplace amongst many working professionals, particularly in the city. I’m curious as to whether this sort of thing really has become more normal and accepted now?

There was an episode of 24 hours in police custody on it recently

Drug production and cultivation cause massive evironmental damage

There was about 60 people being murdered every day in South America due to cocaine at one point a few years ago. People are blackmailed into smuggling it, often facing the death penalty if caught. Drugs have funded groups like the Taliban, IRA, UVF. It funds massive corruption. Children are often used in the prodution and all the way up the line to the street. Cocaine is why Mexico is how it is.

Those giving it 'users are only hurting themselves'- you dont have a clue what you're talking about.

news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/08/150812-cocaine-drugs-cartel-narcotics-mexico-ngbooktalk/

There was about 60 people being murdered every day in South America due to cocaine at one point a few years ago. People are blackmailed into smuggling it, often facing the death penalty if caught. Drugs have funded groups like the Taliban, IRA, UVF. It funds massive corruption. Children are often used in the prodution and all the way up the line to the street. Cocaine is why Mexico is how it is

And this is why the criminalisation of random (natural) stuffs shouldn’t have happened

Hi Patroclus,

I don't recall seeing that argument made by anyone on the thread.

And the harm done overseas is a very strong argument for a change in drugs policy. The current war on drugs simply creates an enormously lucrative stream of income for criminals and causes a lot of misery. As others have pointed out, anyone who wants cocaine here can easily get it. One poster said it's easier to have it delivered in her village than a pizza. The police do not bother to police it. So it's very difficult to argue that the current policy reduces usage, if that's it's intention.

Legaliz8ng cannabis in California has not cut put the criminal elements as was expected. They don't want to pay the taxes. They don't want to pay employees insurance etc. Do u think the cartels will give up their enormous, unimaginable wealth when and if drugs are legalised?
It will be like a river changing course. I don't know how it cam be done. I do believe it should be but those guys will not simply fade away like a bad dream

The decriminalisation of drugs in Portugal in 2001 has been quite successful in reducing the social impact of drugs though.
Still some work to do but they've massively reduced the harm done to their citizens by drugs.

time.com/longform/portugal-drug-use-decriminalization/

For me personally, the arguments around legalizing drugs along with their relative harm compared to legal drugs like alcohol still miss the point that while they're illegal, they cause massive amounts of harm.

tentative3 yes totally agree but all harm reduction efforts including decriminalisation should still be discussed and seriously considered.

otherwise its bit like saying 'the arguments about wearing a seat belt and all very well but miss the point that while people don't wear them they'll still fly out of a window in a car crash' or similar.

Last year I went to a wedding and there were loads of people very openly doing lines of cocaine in the loos at the night reception. This included members of the bridal party, their family and close friends. They were so loud, roudy and obnoxious. I bet they thought they were the life and soul of the party but I found them quite sat and pathetic TBH. The whole atmosphere felt very charged and on edge, like it would all kick off at any moment and we left early for that reason.

The worst thing was that there were lots of young kids there, clearly the children of these people. It was pretty grim.

Yes, you're absolutely right gamerwidow, the conversation needs to continue but I feel that sometimes people use it to excuse their continued drug taking. I don't mean to suggest that the reasoning is wrong or that we oughtn't (necessarily, I don't think it's straightforward) look at legalization but the fact is right here, right now, anyone taking coke is perpetuating suffering. I'm not OK with people distancing themselves from that on the grounds that the government refuse to listen to the arguments for legalization. Apart from anything else I don't think very many users are engaged in trying to promote that conversation.

Yes on this we agree definitely. Drug use hurts more than just the user.

@Gwenhwyfar 10 years ago

@WillGymForPizza

Your experience is what I have on an increasing basis. They may be ok with the effects of 'recreational' drug taking, but I'm not ok with having to deal with people like that, get threatened and then have to clean it up after them. I don't do drugs, I don't like them, I don't work in an environment where you should have to deal with it. But increasingly I am. Why should I be handling drug paraphernalia? Bags and cleaning the powder from any flat surface they can find?
And the big difference with alcohol is that when someone has obviously had enough, legally I have to stop serving them - to prevent a lot of the issues that come with having too much of anything, thus preventing me and everyone else from dealing with the concequences. I can't stop people shoving more shit up their nose until they've gone too far. I've had to call ambulances, give first aid, split up fights, deal with abuse and the place I work being trashed because of 'recreational' drug users.
The police aren't that interested, oh they'll log each complaint against your licence and tell you to do something about it, but only once have they attended - and that was because they could hear the furniture being smashed in the background, and I was out numbered by about 30 to 1. After confiscating some substance or another from some men one evening, I called for advice - told to take it to the chemist for disposal. That was it.
If drugs were legalised, I'd be out of hospitality like a shot, because no way am I selling the damned stuff and dealing with the fall out more and more. I love my job but this aspect of it really pisses me off.

Hi Brilliant,

Sorry to hear you have to deal with that. But if drugs were legalised how could it be worse? It sounds like anyone who wants to use them already uses them, and the police have no interest in dealing with the consequences as it is. One of the main arguments for changing drug policy is to stop the enormous harm which the current system does by funneling vast quantities of money into the hands of dangerous criminals (and I'm not talking about Dave who likes to smash up the furniture after too many lines of "charlie" )

I don't really know anyone now who takes coke, but have known plenty of people in the past. Usually the types who will lecture you about how you should boycott all Nestle products but happy to turn a blind eye to the devastation caused by the drugs trade.

I do agree that many drugs are potentially less harmful than alcohol and tobacco, but I'm in two minds about legalisation. On the one hand it would mean less criminality and purer drugs. On the other hand many of the drugs can have devastating effects on health and mental health.

Brilliantidiot I couldn't get over how brazen they were when doing it, they weren't even in the toilet cubicles. They were actually snorting it off the sinks! That combined with the alcohol they were knocking back made for a killer combo and they were literally bouncing up and down on the dance floor like wild animals with that wired demonic look coked up arseholes always have. It was pretty pathetic, they all came across like complete skanks. I did feel sorry for that staff, and yes there was a fight after we left. Exposing your kids to that is fucking appalling and warrants social service involvement IMO.

I'm also shocked at how many people on here are normalising it. I know it's rife and common and yes I know of people who use it, but they aren't in my social circle because I wouldn't want to socialise with people like that.

Dont come across many drugs. This thread is a bit seedy and depressing. Its like people have forgotten the damage drugs (and alcohol) do.

Professional people are just workers and wage slaves like anyone else. Coke costs money. It can be addictive, it can ruin lives. The trouble is of course that those who aspire to the title of being a professional would never think of taking anything nasty like heroin,,oh no,,thats for the lower orders.

If it wasn't such a serious subject I'd have to laugh at the sanctimonious "not in my social circle" club.

Drugs and addiction (I include alcohol addiction in that) do not discriminate. Anyone can be affected or be close to someone who is, from those poor sods on the streets to the upper echelons of society.

Saying otherwise makes you look a bit of a dick tbh.

Poor old Dreyfus

. Exactly, as if he hadn't enough to deal with.

Most people I know do it. City workers and Drs included.

From reading the answers on this thread cocaine use seems to be more prevalent in the City and among professionals. Maybe that's why I don't know anyone who has done or does cocaine because I just don't move in those circles.

Coke is the drug of choice for people with dead souls.