The Secret History Of Drugs And Capitalism
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 31 มี.ค. 2022
- This week we're looking at the very interesting intersection of drugs, politics, and capitalist history. It's a fascinating topic, and one that is widely considered taboo because of the subject matter. This is a fun one, so I hope you enjoy!
The Weird History Of Drugs, Politics, And Capitalism - Second Thought
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SOURCES
Portugal’s success with drugs
drugpolicy.org/sites/default/...
www.theguardian.com/news/2017...
transformdrugs.org/blog/drug-...
• Is Decriminalising all...
• Why Portugal Decrimina...
time.com/longform/portugal-dr...
The war on drugs and decriminalization
www.opensocietyfoundations.or... www.opensocietyfoundations.or...
www.nytimes.com/2020/11/07/op...
Drug histories
www.marxists.org/history/etol...
www.organized-crime.de/revmcc0...
uk.sagepub.com/sites/default/...
books.google.com/books?id=GHq...
books.google.com/books?id=6Si...
search.proquest.com/openview/...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
evolvetreatment.com/blog/hist...
Drugs as a catalyst of capitalism
dx.doi.org/10.1080%2F01436597...
www.jstor.org/stable/24583625
Drug-offense imprisonment
www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/...
Imprisonment and drug use
www.pewtrusts.org/en/research...
Cannabis use by Canadian youth (auto-translate CC)
• Légalisation du cannab...
A caveat on libertarian narratives
jacobinmag.com/2014/07/the-li...
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Drugs that keep people working longer: A-OK👌
Drugs for leisure: NO FUN ALLOWED!! 😡
Capitalism in a nutshell
work longer: yes
Enjoy existing: absolutely not >:(
@jamesw.5066 adderall
Capitalism is holding back advancements in medicine by prioritising profit over helping the human race
I've been arguing a *very* similar point with libertarians... for YEARS!
... decades actually.🤦♂️
Capitalism has been holding back meaningful advancement in many fields. Pursuit of profits > Bettering mankind.
what's new? that is literally the definition of capitalism
Capitalism is just that. Make a profit no matter what. Profit over human lives.
@@bootstraphan6204 they like to argue that the profits are what drives innovation, yet the smartphone wouldn't have existed for another decade or three if the technology used hadn't been developed by government research projects because the technology for the components would've been developed and patented by different corporations instead of being released into the public domain.
In this case, capitalism would've halted innovation until a monopolistic merger could be achieved in the name of higher profits extracted from customers.
The fact that this isn't an April fool's joke whereas all the other videos today have been is pleasently surprising
yes
It's a giant 100 year long April fools played on humanity.
We have had relationships with whatever "drugs" we could locally source since basically forever. The global information ecosystem has meant drugs are now on steroids in our collective consciousness.
Can you see my comment?
@@Zapatero078 yes
@@yonyosef yay
The War on Drugs has done more harm to human beings than drugs ever had.
Your videos are rewatchable because WE STILL HAVEN'T FIXED ANYTHING!!!
That is the best part. We will never solve these problems, and therefore we will have to watch him again and again.
Fr
@@iantaakalla8180 don't say never man
From the title I totally assumed this was going to be on capitalism’s pressure for people’s use of drugs to perform, which would have been a really interesting conversation
I touch on that very briefly, but yeah that’s a super interesting topic
Flashbacks to people in college abusing "study drugs" just to be able to keep up with the workload
same but I think they succeeded. look at how much plenty qualified and college educated young people fighting to get in a job, in recent decades, cheap labor!
Just cut coffee/sugar supply and we would get a revolution by next weekend.
Performance enhancing meth
I remember when a religious group at my campus who had no one on drugs decided to educate others on drugs. Half the group got on drugs and got arrested. Same thing happened with initiatives to stamp out other things on campus: sex, drinking, and coming out.
bwahahahaha
knowledge is powerful
That sounds like a Cruel Prank.
wym by "coming out"
@@actualgoblin letting people know you are homosexual
@@actualgoblin I would assume what they mean by that is somebody revealing that they are "gay", or "bisexual"
An absolutely excellent video!
Thanks, friend!
you know that your Russian Propaganda Stuff is hurting the Left Right?
Like some of your videos. Adam Something has a video on your Video about the Ukraine crisis. 🇺🇦
@@teddyfurstman1997 They deleted that video
@@teddyfurstman1997 Hmmmm why would you mention this person on a video that has nothing to do with what you wrote? Why?
I am so glad that this video isn't an april fools joke and actually is about serious things
a breath of fresh air
Second Thought: You have to rewatch to remember these numbers
Me: Writes down numbers
Curses, foiled again
communists defeated yet again 😔
@BanquetOfTheLeviathan Nice try, but we all know there is no such time as "after work"!
Many years ago, when the history channel showed history, they had a multi-episode documentary/mini series that goes into detail about all this. They didn’t use the term “capitalism” but still made clear that profits and racism were the reasons behind drug laws
I've noticed that about alot of ""documentary"" shows, especially ones that go into detail talking about illicit tades or black market activity. They say because doing these horrible things are so profitable is why it's hard to combat but NEVER once talks about the system that makes slavery, human trafficking, drug running, and arms dealing so profitable, the system that empowers such things i.e. capitalism.
You mentioned at the beginning the decriminalization of drugs in Portugal, my current country of residence, it really worked well, the drug use, dropped substantially, but, they offer FREE treatment for all.
My question is, with the current health care system in the US, will they offer the same free treatment? Or the drug addict will have to buy an expensive health plan, what about the ones who could not afford.
If you are ever wondering what the US will do on any given subject, imagine the worst possible choice, then assume that whatever the US does will be worse than that.
instead of funneling funding for said project, brandon boi decides its a good idea to give everyone and their dogs free test kits, clogging the mail and honestly why it needs to be free? the test clinics are free already and they could of given out tests to whoever comes in. probably millions in test kits and government man hours that could of went towards drug treatment, but considering every aspect of business capitalizes on it, hard to say boi of the brandon will do anything
@@MrPaxio I had a stroke trying to read this shit
We already have some good data/experience on this in the US.
First of all, the problem will always be Capitalism. Once something is legal, it can be invested in, made en masse, and taxed.
The data we already have comes from Marijuana legalization in many states.
What *generally* happens though?
1.) In states where Cannabis (MJ) requires a “prescription,” you must afford a doctor’s visit ($100-200) and an MMJ (Medical Marijuana) card ($100-300)
Then you actually have to buy it from a shop where prices are actually rather reasonable compared to the streets.
That’s an annual cost of $300-500 before you buy any weed, edibles, etc.
2. In states where it’s fully legal, corporations have purchased massive Cannabis growing facilities and started strings/franchises of Cannabis shops.
This can make it nearly impossible for individuals to compete or gain any of the revenue from this massive boon.
(Eg: Imagine a low-income, black town, where there are many thousands of consumers. It’s much easier for a corporation to get there first and afford all the startup costs, so the town’s residents, who actually know about Marijuana and could service the area better, are merely employed as workers.)
Note: It’s worth mentioning that states such as California/New York have made some serious attempts to manipulate the market so that individuals get a fairer chance and corporations have limits on the amount of plants/shops they can run.
Idk how successful these efforts have been. But it’s worth noting.
@@MrPaxio Honestly it's the best we'll probably get for a while. And even that level of harm reduction has been extremely controversial. Even when drugs cut with bad substances kill a boatload of people, the public perspective has largely been that we're paying for these people to use drugs. Nobody see's addicts as humans. Showing even the barest ammount of empathy or public support gets republicans up in arms. I couldnt care less about test kits clogging the mail, they're a medical safety thing. As for it being free, putting unneccessary price tags on things in the US's specialty. Generally speaking low-income drug addicts aren't well off, and I'm certain there's people out there who wouldnt be able to afford a test kit if it were priced.
This sector must NOT be an "industry" and instead considered a "public service"
idk sounds like communism
@@nickc6570 how
@@chinchinlovs6563 uhhhhh I think tucker carlson said so
@@nickc6570 LOLOLOLOLOL
no i dont want jails to become public service either where you pay for your stay like hotel
Shout out to you for pointing out to your young audience that even if drugs should be decriminalized, they should still wait until their brain is fully developed to start taking them recreationally for their long-term health
ohmygoodnessgracious *this* 💯🙏
Absolutely! As an outreach worker on the front lines of the opioid crisis, my agency made sure to set up workshops for youth about marijuana around the time it was legalized. While weed is commonly understood to be a harmless drug -- For adults, it usually is -- Your frontal cortex doesn't finish developing until ~25 so ideally, youth should abstain from marijuana until that brain development is complete. However, in the spirit of harm reduction, we also understand youth may not wait to smoke their first joint so we also provided them with safer smoking practices and tips to avoid "greening out" -- Getting too high all at once. I was encouraged to hear Second Thought make that disclaimer to audiences since skills like impulse control, goal setting, motivation and emotional regulation can be greatly impacted if drug use occurs before brain development is complete.
that's bad advice
your brain doesn't fully develop until you are 40
that's a log time to wait to use drugs
Yeah but Adderall
I wish you had talked about the for-profit rehab industry that just about every addict has been taken advantage by. It's an obscenely profitable and morally bereft instance of state-subsidized capitalism. I highly recommend looking through Gerald Posner's Pharma to get a close up look at a particularly horrific section of monopoly capitalism.
Plzndo tell more
It makes me unbelievably happy that so many different, talented creators are exposing the truly fucked up things we don't hear about because that would be bad for profits.
The police in my country, the UK, have been assaulting minors (they call it strip-searching) on the grounds that they "might" (and often are not) carrying cannabis.
this is called a terry stop here in the US and its been happening since the 70s 😴
Based UK cops
@@MrPaxio yeah cmon UK come up with better oppression and abuse of power, you’ll never beat us at this rate.
@@MrPaxio Never heard of that even though I try and keep informed about thing stateside. Thanks.
@@archvaldor honestly i try to keep up with the law but that was a new one to me too. then you slowly realize the authority are able to do almost anything with the disguise of these exceptions to the constitution. but for some reason they teach you the 1776 constitution in school instead of the reformed liberalized 2020 one. hey atleast the nazis tried harder 😉
JT. The way you present your content is very enjoyable. I find myself taking a similar approach when telling people things I'm well versed in/care about: making it an enjoyable experience for both parties. I know people will likely think "theory is important though" and "but you have to eventually read theory", etc. Reading theory doesn't have to be a drag, it just doesn't. To me at least, it seems the people are implicitly saying "I had a boring time reading theory, you have to as well". Anything can be made enjoyable, and your videos are an example of that
Thanks so much! I really appreciate it
@@SecondThought You're amazing ! I nearly watch all of your political vidéos. And how you went from doing science videos to talking about very relevant issues again on the TH-cam board. I love your content JT, like holy cow.
@@SecondThought As a Muslim in Islam drugs are not allowed and the punishment is death, if the second time. First time you get wiped 100× . (If you are Muslim, law of Islam to Muslims alone). It is considered treason to use drugs. If you drink alcohol or wine you get wiped 80×. If it is your 4th time getting caught then punishment death. It is a super big no no.
Zrd
9:23 small thing but I appreciate people who put in the effort to pronounce foreign places correctly… first time I heard an American not pronounce it as Eye-Ran
You are absolutely rewatchable! You have no idea how many times I’ve put “Second Thought Billionaires” in the search box to watch your multiple videos about this. I also watched your videos about housing, the medical industry, and the one about people refusing to return to work multiple times. You’re the GOAT.
Awesome video. I really like how you’re incorporating a lot of humour into your newer uploads while still being insightful.
Underrated comment, very true
"if we want to live in a society where power is shared equally, a 'democracy', if you will..." 😂 your humor has improved beyond my wildest expectations
Drug testing is used to discriminate against the lower classes.
Politicians and management don't need to be tested but the peons do. Test the janitor but not the congressman or CEO.
8:15 I guess this is why Hollywood always portrays the mafia as the “cool” types of criminal (Godfather, Goodfellas, Sopranos, Casino etc)… unlike with other groups where criminals are portrayed as fully bad with no redeeming value
Well because they are white.
@@undeadblizzard IMO it’s not that straightforward, Eastern Europeans are white but are always portrayed as bad guys in western movies + shows
I dunno… as someone from New Jersey with an Italian surname I almost feel like Hollywood would cast me as a villain.
@@user-sz8jp7tv1m East Europeans aren't. White means those of Western European descent. Except the Irish and Jewish.
Drugs have won the war on drugs, now we need to talk about reparations to be paid to everyone whose lives were destroyed by that war.
They were always just a tool to use in waging the actual war. The war on drugs was started for the express intent to target Nixons political enemies. Black people, mexicans, and anti war hippies. It was a war on US citizens that was perfected at home then expertly exported as a practice. Right wingers won, that's how they were able to elect not 1 but two hollywood actor insane people and dismantled all of the progress the country gained through the 20th century.
As quoted from Nixons chief domestic policy adviser.
“You want to know what this [war on drugs] was really all about? The Nixon campaign in 1968, and the Nixon White House after that, had two enemies: the antiwar left and black people. You understand what I’m saying?
We knew we couldn’t make it illegal to be either against the war or black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin, and then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities. We could arrest their leaders, raid their homes, break up their meetings, and vilify them night after night on the evening news.
Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course we did.”
I would like to recommend Andrew Liu's book _Tea War,_ which traces the three-way trade between Indian opium, Chinese tea, and British textiles, and how it is inextricably tied to the development of capitalism in India and China.
Legalization would also stop the business of the DEA and CIA funding of Drug Cartels in Latinamerica. Also, the weapons industry would lose business of all the weapons that are sold and smuggled to the south. Or the profit based prison systems. Thus, not happening soon.
They already have such a massive 'defense' budget yet they still need more
@@rokilaiyangtzer1134 Endless Greed is the engine of capitalism.
ever tbh
If you want to put into perspective how long this has been happening you can look up Dr. Leopoldo Salazar Vienegra and his experiment on drug use and addict rehabilitation and how the US intervened to stop it
do you have any proof that the DEA and CIA funding of Drug Cartels in Latinamerica.?
I know this is random, but just for pronouncing Iran correctly, you deserve like 10 million subs.
This stuff always hits close to home. I started doing pills as a teenager and graduated to heroin pretty soon after. jail was the option with rehab being like 10 grand for a month. (who has 10 grand and who gets clean in a month) finally was able to get help and next year is ten years clean baby. My record and the stigma follows me, I still get rejected from apartments even though I have a good job.
Insanely proud of you for coming this far and praying that the stigma goes away soon so you can get what you deserve!
@@KIMIMUSIC thanks friend, words of encouragement like that is what helped me through it.
Hey, if you do make an urban planning video, please invite Climate Town! Does incredible content, and I'm sure you'd work well with him! Keep up the good fight, comrade!
"The sneaky political trick of doing it anyway..."
Well played.
Okay these are all great points, but have you considered where else will the US get their new slave population if not from prisons?
I've always wondered this because in order for the US to run we need able bodies people who are slaves to do work they aren't connected to, if that stops..... what will happen. Thats the real money.
Price gouging of pharmaceutical drugs already makes no sense to me; if you as a company charge medications so much that many potential customers can't afford them, then how are you going to make money off those medications in the long-term with only the wealthy top percentage of the population being able to afford them? Personally, I feel the federal government needs to have some form of price control to ensure that we don't pay an absurd amount for prescriptions compared to other developed countries. If a bottle of pills in say Germany costs $6.00, that same bottle of pills shouldn't cost more then 50% extra here in the U.S., which would be $9.00 in this case. I'm not saying pharmaceutical companies don't deserve to make profit for their research and development, but they shouldn't be able to charge insane prices for their life saving products that most uninsured Americans can't afford.
They have the highest profit margin. Also, you know who else gouges prices? Drug dealers.
Gotta remember that in a lot of cases, our taxes are paying these companies for that research, and development.
@@fallbrkgrl how does taxes paid in Usa pay our sh!t? Nah we pay taxes too in Europe you know. Your tax money goes to military.
@@DCMarvelMultiverse idk about you but my drug dealer gets me better bulk deals than i would get if i bought it from a pharmacy
@@vanessauosukainen7631 just as an example...the US government subsidized (used money from our taxes) the research and development for the COVID vaccines.
This is only one of many drugs that our government paid these gigantic companies money for RD, and all of the profits go to the drug companies (not to mention the fact that these companies pay very little, if anything, in taxes on the money they make). So we as tax payers see no return on the investment...does this seem fair to you?
It's funny, I remember watching your last video titled Harm Reduction Doesn't Work and immediately thinking you were going to address drug policy! Second Thought, your channel never disappoints 😌❤️
So, as a peer outreach worker on the front lines of the opioid epidemic, I jumped at the chance to vent about the war on drugs, pharmaceutical companies, the importance of harm reduction, patient-centered care, etc. The next few paragraphs do deliver on that promise but I wanted to take some time to articulate my own thoughts about addiction in the modern age. Essentially, we as a society have internalized the myths of advertising and begun applying it instead to our most basic yet non-material needs as human beings. Simply put, if you have a problem -- Bet your ass there's a destructive, self-perpetuating vice for you. There's plenty to choose from. Take your pick! Beyond drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, etc -- There's also compulsive shopping, gambling, binge eating, porn addiction. Hell, even doom scrolling would qualify even if the scope of its impact is relatively limited.
Regardless of your poison, we as a society operate on the assumption that there's nothing consumption can't cure. You just have to find what works for you.
Too tired? Drink coffee. Can't focus? Pop some ritalin. Anxious? Some valium will level you out. And if you can't get it up when your wife starts fooling around under the covers, you've got your Viagra - Just in case.
We have not only burdened the average worker with too many hours and unsustainable conditions, we've pathologized any human need that gets in the way of ruthless productivity. Profits over people at any cost. Quite literally, if you look at the Sackler family's involvement in manufacturing the Opioid Crisis.
Of course, this twisted mindset entirely neglects our fundamental need for connection and purpose. See, consumption is a hedonistic, impersonal ritual we rely on to smooth over the cracks in our psyches. It changes how we feel and to be fair, our discussion of addiction often neglects to discuss the genuine benefits one may perceive from using. For many people, it's worth the trade-off. In fact, there are thousands of functional users operating on wallstreet, court rooms, banks and police stations. But since we were never taught how to hit the brakes if you're going too fast -- Your only option is to swerve and crash.
Our knee-jerk hatred for drugs and the people who use them is only reserved for the homeless. It's a euphemism like "state's rights" or insisting a bill that restricts access to abortion "protects women's health and safety". It's just an excuse on paper. Some plausible deniability that allows somebody to argue an expensive, inefficient and needlessly brutal national response to addiction was "misguided" rather than the targetted assault on political opposition it clearly was.
Which brings us to The War On Drugs. As described by Nixon's former chief of policy, the war on drugs was a cover for legislation that primarily sought to criminalize the behavior of hippies, black folks, the poor and anybody against the war. Essentially, they knew they couldn't outright criminalize protected freedoms such as banning criticism of the war so they criminalized drugs instead, knowing that could serve as a believable pretense for the persecution of so-called "subversives".
My stance is as follows; Similar to alcohol, humans have been using drugs long before the existence of programs like D.A.R.E or a widespread stigma against users. If drug laws were strictly about the danger posed by certain substances, the highly poisonous tetrodotoxin found in pufferfish would be ruled a Schedule 1 drug -- Not Marijuana or LSD. It might have already occured to you that criminalized substances tend to be psychoactives that have historically enjoyed some wave of popularity, perhaps even influenced mainstream culture directly. That's no coincidence. In fact, just like conversations around national security often seek to further marginalize immigrants and refugees, drug laws were born as a euphemism -- A convenient pretense for governments to criminalize persons and communities that challenged or undermined their authority in some way. It's also no surprise that the groups targetted by such legislation were often viewed by the public as unsympathetic or worse, morally reprehensible degenerates deserving of their strife.
All this legislation did was embolden the existing stigma towards those living on the margins and prey on the fears of white suburban mothers that their children would be swayed down the wrong path. We can see the same attitude exists towards migrants, the homeless, sex workers and prisoners today. It simply weaponizes the existing stigma towards the most vulnerable members of society by painting addicts as degenerates unworthy of help or sympathy.
Hell, we can even see some damming parallels in Reagan's neglect of the AIDS crisis. The reason why AIDS wasn't taken seriously for many years was because the public simply viewed it as the disease of so-called "whores and faggots" -- Nobody worthy of consideration in the first place. The tone of the national conversation only changed once HIV was found to affect suburban housewives and otherwise, "decent and upstanding" people as well. The reason why all of this is not only pointless but actively harmful is because just as proven by prohibition, you can't outlaw demand. By criminalizing human behavior, you only drive the market underground which makes the product less safe while also feeding into criminal networks like the mob. The biggest case for harm reduction - be it, for drugs or the promotion of safe sex - is the simple acknowledgment that people are going to drink, do drugs, have sex, etc. Instead of closing our eyes to that reality, we can and should safeguard the community by funding needle exchanges and safe injection sites as those are the only solutions proven to reliably lower rates of HIV, Hep C and other Bloodborne illnesses. Think about this way, even you couldn't give two shits about an addict, I'd imagine you would like to see less needles littered throughout the streets and parks.
By funding social programs that meet the needs of sex workers, drug users and other marginalized groups -- You make the community safer for everybody else. Needles will inevitably end up in parks and city streets if there isn't an accessible way to dispose of them. Needle exchanges are designed to address this problem. The only reason to oppose these demonstrably safer, more humane and in the long-run cheaper solution is a refusal to help flaccidly disguised as principle.
Lastly, on a human note, these programs provide drug users, sex workers and the homeless with a network of compassionate social workers who can connect them to shelters, detox and other services that address the underlying cause of their addiction. These are the people who make sure somebody who isn't ready to quit lives to see the next day. What good is rehab if most folks overdose before they can get through the door?
Just because you think neither you nor anybody you love is susceptible to addiction, doesn't mean you don't already know somebody who suffers in silence.
This brings us back to consumption. Addiction is just a symptom of a greater problem. A society that has bought into the myth of consumption as self-care. Where we become enslaved to drugs and rituals that conceal our basic human needs as opposed to forming healthy, meaningful attachments with eachother.
That's actually why I feel so passionately about my job as a harm reduction outreach worker. It's been six years since I last touched an opioid -- which feels like a lifetime -- but I will never forget how these services saved my life. Harm Reduction takes a person who is commonly told they're a filthy degenerate undeserving of sympathy and connects them to a supportive network of peers, staff and community resources like counseling, rehab, methadone, etc.
At the end of the day, I can say this. Getting high pales in comparison to providing others with the same care and compassion that made my recovery possible in the first place.
TLDR: Thanks for your razor sharp analysis as usual. We're lucky to have you.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I agree on everything you said. It makes my stomach churn that our society regards labeling, judging, and dehumanizing drug addicts (and similar groups) as being morally right and acceptable. Its a sick society we live in. And not in the way most people who use this term think.
Fucking hell, thank you for sharing your perspective.
I completely agree with your points about consumption as a factor and how productivity is always the emphasis whenever the topic of drugs and decriminalization/harm reduction are brought up. I've had to read through some old anti-decriminalization excerpts as a part of my college ethics course, and all those people fucking care about is just "what about the productivity of the workers? How are we going to work people to the bone if they have the opportunity to engage in hedonistic escapism from the constant working needed to try to stay afloat in this capitalist hellscape?"
It always feels like whenever there is a conversation surrounding drugs in the media, it's somewhat rare to actually talk to the individuals who are working within harm reduction programs or at least have some preliminary experience as to how beneficial these public health services are to support people as humans rather than as criminals. You're absolutely right that we tend to otherize, dehumanize, and cast aside addicts as just dirty degenerates who will refuse any help and steal your shit that need to be isolated from society rather than people who are dealing with a public health struggle that this country does fuck all for and which private companies will charge people inordinate fees for low-quality service.
I honestly hope that we can move beyond our current punitive, draconian, war on drugs era approach towards drugs and reallocate our priorities and our funding into harm reduction programs and federally-subsidized rehabilitative services. While this may require a transition away from the market-centered approach of neoliberal capitalism that makes profits from corrupt police practices, civil asset forfeiture during arrests, and healthcare costs, if we want to effectively and humanely focus on addiction and drug use, we need a shift towards socialism to attain this goal.
The endorphins that inundate me as you chime through ideologies that I'm deeply passionate about are what keep me coming back. You are an excellent example of a human being and it's people like us (your viewers) that are going to change the world.
I ran for my county board a few years ago and one of my main issues was the decriminalizing of marijuana.
The sheriff, a Trump Republican put out a flyer using all the lame anti-drug talking points attacking me.
Near as I can tell, it did not work the way he must have thought. Based on the district makeup and at least one polling I was aware of I wasn't expecting to get more than 35% of the vote, but ended up receiving 46% of the vote.
I mean sure, I lost. But I firmly believe that flyer earned me up to 8% more votes than I should have otherwise gotten.
46% is pretty high. You should try again
I watch all your videos more than once. Whoever said they aren’t replayable is full of it.
could i offer the perspective that some people don't have the emotional capacity to handle receiving heavy information repetitively like you might? its a valid criticism that he's taken to heart with his recent incorporation of more humor and more of his personality, but there was a point especially in older videos where I personally had to stop watching and step away to process all the information and not spiral into a depression. but its also a valid criticism/compliment in the sense that he is very succinct, forward, and efficient in presenting the information, i often don't need to watch it more than twice to learn the information he's presenting. When I say I'm critiquing replayability, I'm saying, "These videos can and will cause intense cognitive dissonance in a portion of your target audience which will subsequently alienate them and discourage them from exploring the topic further and revisiting it", especially if you believe common American narratives most of us were likely raised on. My critique comes from a place of wanting his videos to reach as much of his target audience as possible BECAUSE i believe in his message. I mean "reach" in the sense of pathos, he does just fine providing sound logic and credibility, but as I'm sure many people realize, that is often not enough to get through to the people who fiercely cling to a delusion. Of course, this is all just my opinion, and you're free to decide whether these are "valid" concerns or not, but i can't help but feel comments like these are counterproductive to the goal of getting everyone on the same page and level of understanding
tldr; i want to offer a compassionate perspective on these people you may initially pass judgement on
@@juangarcia6473 that’s fair. I already am in such a low place all the time that this isn’t going to throw me in a spiral because I’m already there. But your argument is a solid one and disseminating this info is important, so his newer delivery is ideal for that.
Thank you for taking the time to write all that .
@@imdoneplus agreed! and thank you for responding and sharing your own experiences too! opening up space for dialogue like this feels important
Was listening with my eyes closed and just when you spoke about industry changing drugs' place in culture, an ad for muscle pills popped up and I genuinely thought it was part of your video. Timing couldn't have been more perfect
Here's the thing with America's "war on" something, they need their villain to exist in order for them to exist. If the question is ever "why is this still going on?", it's because it's allowed by the very people that claim to be stopping it. It makes them money.
Something to add is way people treat prescription drugs vs others.
Dated a girl not too long ago who was very much against taking weed and LSD while I was openly an advocate for them. I take prescription Adderall for my ADHD and it turns out that she's taken Adderall just to help her study. There's a long running history of treating prescription drugs as "less dangerous" than recreational drugs even though prescription addicts are a well known thing.
Great video! Honestly the weird double standards on drugs has always bothered me. Like if some Rando has drugs it's bad but if a celebrity is addicted to drugs that's just normal? Why are opioids even legal!?
Opiods are pretty much the only drug that can help mitigate long term pain from debilitating injuries.
Other drugs aren't as effective.
@@carrieullrich5059 It's so sad that it's really addictive then
@@carrieullrich5059 but high THC marijuana could reduce pain
THC having been proven to reduce some pain
One thing not mentioned in this piece was the way the illegal drug trade corrupts people in the government and in other services. Mexico has become very corrupt from the drug trade. They say Mexican judges face a choice: Gold or Lead, meaning a Mexican judge can take a nice bribe from illegal drug traffickers and live easy, or not take a drug and get killed. I have no first hand knowledge, but I'm sure drug corruption has taken root in America. I mean, look at the salary policemen make. Don't you think it would be tempting for him to take a bribe and look the other way when dealing is going on? That's just one of many ways that illegal drugs corrupt our legal system.
I did an expose on this stuff for one of my college courses. To say the least, there were some students in denial.
I think it's ridiculous how some drugs that are more dangerous and addictive than illegal ones are completely legal just because they are made by the pharmaceutical companies, and how most of the times there are no restrictions about the usage of those drugs.
For example, I have rhinitis and sometimes when it hits really bad my nose closes itself on the inside and I simply can't breathe through my nose. So the first or second time I had a crisis like this I went to the hospital to see what I could do about it and the doctor that was working there told me to use this drug that is a vasoconstrictor nasal drop whenever I had any crisis, even light ones. Later I set an appointment with my otolaryngologist and told him I was having those crisis and that this other doctor told me to use this drug, and he told me that this kind of vasoconstrictors are *incredibly* addictive and that I should only use this drug during meal times when I was having a strong crisis (Have you ever tried eating without being able to breathe? It's nearly impossible, and my hard crisis usually take days to go away), otherwise if I use it with any small crisis eventually I just won't be able to breathe unless I use this all the time. And this drug isn't even a controlled or prescribed one, is an over-the-counter one - and one that my dad didn't get this information that it is so addictive before he started using it and how he has to use it at least once a week, while I haven't used it in 2 years (didn't have a strong crisis in this 2 years, just light ones that still allowed me to eat)
I feel this so much. I've got Major Depressive Disorder w/ psychotic symptoms. My psychiatrist prescribed effexor without telling me how addictive it is to your body. I pulled an all nighter and forgot to take my meds the next day, and ended up in the hospital because i was violently sick and my body temperate was dropping way below okay levels. Turns out effexor withdrawal can be compared to heroine withdrawal. Only I didn't choose to take heroine. I just forgot to take my anti depressant two days in a row. I've been slowly decreasing my effexor for a year in an effort to get off it entirely, but I have to go so slow because I'm sick almost every day from the decrease in medicine. Legit, every day I feel sick. I'm sick right now. All for a medicine that didn't even end up helping my disorder. Why that was her first choice is beyond me. And why I wasn't warned about the withdrawal symptoms...I also don't know. Weed has been the only thing getting me through this. When I don't smoke for a few days, or even a few weeks, it doesn't cause me sickness or any physical symptoms. Of course sometimes I wanna hit and I don't have any or just am taking a break, but it's not like I'll be sick if I don't take the hit. I'll be mildly annoyed for a while and move on with my day.
Yet weed is the one that will get me thrown in jail.
@@monochromeboy I’m sorry to hear that you weren’t informed about the risks of stopping Efexor, that’s definitely a mistake on your doctor and pharmacist. If you ever get on a new drug, don’t be afraid to ask your pharmacist for more information regarding it. It’s free and you don’t need an appointment. You can also look up the consumer medication information online, really easy to find and it tells you everything you need to know.
That being said, every antidepressant has potential withdrawal effects. Efexor in particular has a higher risk because of its short half life (basically meaning it exits your body faster), however this does not mean it’s addictive. If a drug causes you to withdraw, it does not always mean you’re addicted or that it can cause addiction. Addiction is a mental illness. As far as I know, Efexor doesn’t make you crave taking more. You can be on prescription opioids and not be addicted, despite being physically dependent on it for chronic pain and experiencing withdrawal when you miss your dose. I hope that makes sense.
@@viys3261 I understand your point, however I think effexor should definitely be classed as addictive. It may not make you feel good like meth does, but I would literally commit a crime to get effexor if I didn't have access. Just to make the sickness stop. Every morning my body makes me take it, or I become massively sick. I see it more like a meth addict who doesn't really get high anymore, just does it for the sickness to stop. Idk, I'm not a psychiatrist or anything, I've just known a lot of addicts and even they tend to agree what I describe with effexor would constitute an addiction. Maybe not a behavioral addiction like gambling. But an addiction regardless.
@@monochromeboy If it was addiction you’d be experiencing the “need” to take more while you were still on regular doses of Efexor, not while trying to get off it. Addiction is drug seeking that is compulsive and continued despite harm. There is a diagnostic criteria for addiction.
I understand it definitely might sound like addiction but, there is definitely a good reason why it’s not considered addictive- it also has to do with how it works on the brain. Addictive drugs target the brain reward system, antidepressants don’t do this. Addiction is very complex and even as a final year pharmacy student I don’t understand completely how drugs can cause addiction. Classifying it as addictive will take away access to millions of people who need and benefit from this drug. Remember that not everyone reacts the same way- for many, Efexor works. We will most definitely see suicides increase if it would be considered addictive. Depression and antidepressants already have huge stigma, we really don’t want to add addiction to that as well.
@@viys3261 thank you for explaining! I really wasn't trying to insinuate that effexor shouldn't be accessible at all, i definitely think that for some people it would be helpful. Personally wellbutrin worked better for me, which is still an antidepressant it just has less unpleasant experience. It's just that for me and those who know me, the experience strongly mimics an addiction. However, I do agree that it doesn't seem to fall under the medical term based in what you've described. However, I wonder then if some people I've considered addicts are truly addicts? I mean- if it's a desire to continue upping the amount that qualifies it at an addiction, then a buddy of mine who is a methhead definitely doesn't fit the definition. I mean- he had a dependency on meth but it's not like he has a craving for more and more.
Maybe then dependency would be the better term to use instead of addiction for what I am describing, as that term addiction seems to be loaded with meaning I'm not intending to portray.
My larger point more so is that effexor unarguably caused more harm to me and I'm sure others, than weed even has the potential to cause. It seems silly that my phyciatrist can prescribe one and not the other. It seems even sillier that one I can go to jail for doing.
But that's really not my point of this comment. Really my point here is to just say thank you for explaining and to thank you for doing it with kindness (yt comment sections got me traumatized lol), and i also wanted to write this to correct my previous error as I see now that addiction is not the term I was looking for or should be using. Also wanted to make it clear that antidepressants shouldnt be stigmatized. My issue with effexor is more than anything that I wasn't informed of the risks. Anyone who knows them going in should go right ahead if they think it could help. Wellbutrin has done a good bit for me so I wouldn't want it so seem like I was trying to say anti depressants in general are bad or cause dependencies (although I strongly believe that it's an aspect many people are ill informed about)
Anyways, thank you!
I like how you roll you’re R’s to pronounce the country names. Shows a character of universalism which I respect. It’s also kinda funny lol.
I'd like to take the opportunity to say congratulations to drugs for winning the war on drugs!👏🏻👏🏻
the intro 😹😹 been watching your videos for over a year now and it's nice to see you having some fun
Happy to see you're humor evolve. I find myself liking the opening bit more and more with every new vid!
I know that the data indicates that your videos don't have replayability. But in my experience, some of them, I've watched them more than once due to the complexity and interesting topics you explain! Excelente content!
No replayability? What? I am constantly replaying these videos. They make for excellent podcast-like background noise while cooking, etc. One day i'll have all of your content firmly memorized.
There’s definitely replay ability to your content. There’s so much info in each video, I’ve re watched a few.
Thank you so much for not putting out an April fool's video... I am crushed that so many of my favorite educators have decided to play 'that' game, rather than continuing the struggle to elucidate.
Haha I loved the intro! Took me by surprise. Also liked the nod to destigmatizing non-medicinal drug use for recreation, it's a great point
Fooled around a few months ago and found out your amazing videos, which I have been replaying
Love your videos man. Great one on drug policy, your comedic writing is getting really good!
I hope this video mentions the correlation between decreased world use of heroin, the increased world use of opioids like fentanyl (which don't require poppies), and the sudden aboutface US stance on their presence in Afghanistan.
That we don't have to rewatch your videos is actually a good thing.
It means that you can give as an effective and lasting insight into the surface region of important topics that need to be adressed.
The only times I rewatched your videos was when I showed your channel to other Socialist friends here in Germany (you know, expanding our echo chamber lol) and I still know the quintessential content and messages of all of your videos.
Woaaah, that thumbnail!
I'm looking at it from my phone and it feels like an optical illusion.
Also, great video. As someone who lives in a country ruined by the war on drugs I deeply appreciate the conversation regarding this topic.
Best channel on the platform. I definitely think the videos have replay value that's a crazy take to think it isn't.
As someone who has been a life long libertarian and capitalist who comes from a family who share the same ideas, I have to say these videos are very well done. You are one of the only left leaning people who actually make me think rather than just giving me the same stupid arguments that are riddle with fallacies and outright lies. Keep up the good work!
I’ve watched so many of your videos multiple times! So much replay-ability
Dude i just watched similar video documentary on drug by Jake Tran. What a coincidence both of my favourite TH-camrs are covering same topic this week. Btw great video as usual dude.
This was neither long nor rambling. Tysm, Second Thought
I actually rewatch videos every couple months/ weeks
good replay ability value
"We knew we couldn’t make it illegal to be either against the war or blacks, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin, and then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities." - Ehrlichman
I actually watch your videos 3-4 times to make sure I lget all the talking points. Also, I want 20 minutes. I know that these are hard to get some people to sit through the whole thing, but there are some topics I wish we could dive into a little bit more for longer
And here I am for watch number 3 lmao
Love your videos, man! This one, in particular, caught my interest, as I am incredibly fascinated by the interaction between human culture and drug use, and I am a firm advocate for the legalization and regulation of all recreational substances.
It's incredible how many people believe that we had rigorously studied drugs and determined which are the "safe to use drugs" and the "bad drugs" when in reality, the origins of drug scheduling were essentially a reaction to the anti-war movement of the 60s. It is quite literally a mechanism of control the US exerted on dissenters by applying the harshest penalties to drugs that were used by anti-war protesters. That's not even mentioning the blatant racism that motivated public support of drug abolition in instances before then.
You also bring up an interesting point about the need to medicalize drug use. There's a concept that Robert Jesse, talks about, i.e., drug use for "the betterment of well people.", which directly parallels your point, and I think you hit the nail on the head beautifully.
Really great stuff, man! Definitely appreciate your presence and your thoroughly researched videos!
It's inane how money can motivate people to forget any ethics. 80% of spinal surgeries have been found unnecessary here in Germany and I can easily imagine the US is the same way. The surgery industry is something more people should know about, to see how a lack of information among patients gets explained.
On of the best most informative videos yet
Those vice jokes made me laugh hard. Especially in the first bit , when you mentioned Portugal I knew exactly what video you were talking about 😂
Amazing video! As a drug user and ex heroin addict i 100% agree with your video. Legalization of all drugs is the way!
No replay value?! Bro, I’m always replaying a bunch of videos of yours to turn liberals and soc dems. Plus, Im in a truck all day so I listen to nothing but second thought videos and the deprogram. These videos are the best.
great stuff as always my dude!
"That statement isn't controversial, but at least a little surprising - like still liking Hamilton."
What... What happened to Hamilton?
hamilton is basically historical revisionism and whitewashes the founding fathers. its songs are good though, i'll give credit where its due.
Apparently it's cool to dislike Hamilton now. I still like it tho.
I look forward to every Friday
Love me some secondthought! The podcast it’s amazing as well!
System of a Down taught me a lot of this 20 years ago!
Very much appreciated she correct pronunciation of Nicaragua!!
Even though i do celebrate 4.20 everyday myself; I do actually dislike seeing that Legalisation is being pushed here in Germany, mostly because its being pushed by the NeoLiberal Party and I feel itll end up just as exploitative anyway
just like obama 😬
@@MrPaxio OBOMER BAD?!!
@@vintinoo1924 depends if youre a liberal or not
"The Neoliberal party"
...
Which one?
It feels like over the last few decades every german party except the Linke has adopted this BS
why does the fact that the neo liberal party is pushing it make you dislike it?
I'll give you two views here and one or two on Nebula. Great content as always ☺️
Who says there’s no replayability value? Many have some info I forget all the time and i come back to watch them again
Just so you know, the right-wing counterargument that I hear so often is that all drug users *should* die or get locked up indefinitely.
That drug use should be made as difficult as possible, and that deaths from hot doses are a good thing to scare people out of using.
Of course, such viewpoints are always seen as heartless, and rarely maintained after someone they personally know and love overdoses.
oh, I think those opinions ARE frequently maintained. It's just that many people (not just right-wingers, either) find it even easier to maintain a cognitive dissonance when their own loved-ones are concerned.
Most of right wing's identity (difference from liberals) is based on frustration of incapability to understand issues, frustration fueled so it becomes hate, then guided towards innocent targets through conspiracies.
@@brokenrecord3095 could not have said it better !
@ we are truly Free to follow all the rules we like!
Ah yes, Puritanism.
Life isn’t supposed to be enjoyable or fun, anything that allows one to experience pleasure without enduring an equal quantity of suffering is immoral. Life should only be safe to the extent which allows more people to endure more misery before they die. Etc.
love the unforgetable intro, and i will definetly be back for more funny numbers
Love your regular content, and The Deprogram podcast is gold! Keep it up JT!
Idk why you always give me the option of giving you the thumbs down; your content is always superb
the replay-ability of videos is not dependent on the memorability, it's dependent on the urge to come back. This usually only happens with music(GOOD tunes getting stuck in your head, such as Lagtrain), but sometimes memes and documentaries will also do it. Most videos will only be watched once and the ones that are re-watched probably aren't your style anyway.
you uploaded this as soon as i sparked my blunt that’s crazy
👍 Loved the opening numbers bit.
Great video as always! What's the name of the music track?
Solidarity!
Also you are still somehow funny, even though you tend to perform your Essays void of emotions ;D
I was the valedictorian for our D.A.R.E class, and a family member of mine helped bring the program to Brazil in the early 2000s.
I'm a smoker, total stoner and an alcoholic. Met other friends who did DARE with me at weed circles. Looks like it didn't work.
Reinforcing: please don't do drugs if you're underage. Not because it's a sin or immoral, but because it can REALLY f up your brain.
I don't regret a bit experimenting in college instead of school. Be smart, kids!
@@massacrematt4613 wrong
I always love watching peoples take on drugs from my halfway house that I got sentenced to complete after I was In jail a year ago for violating probation (I missed two appointments, no drug use in years) that i was put on 7 years ago for a 5 year term,( yeah idk how that math worked out either) because I broke the law because I was abused as a child so much that her*in seemed better to me than reality. And without a record of any violence or anything that hurt anyone else I was offered 7-14 years in prison that I BARLEY escaped for the deal I’ve taken for probation. And the felonies I have have stopped me from getting a job in the last 8 years. (I’m 26) so trying to go to school for computer science while living in a group home, comepleting a daily drug group, mental health counseling and finding work or I’ll be homeless when I complete this program all while right now while having to be afraid of missing a single appointment again or going back to prison this time for the full 7 years I was oginally offered. Making the past 7 years pointless because I’ll be starting that prison term like it only all happened yesterday.
Yeah the system is working just fine.
Honestly these videos depress me. They are always the best solution and information about these problems. Sadly, nothing will ever change.
Stop believing the corporate propaganda that one person can't change the world.
You change your neighborhood, you change your family, you can change your local government.
You can run for something and change your local or national laws.
The apathy sold by corporations is that it takes millions of people to make changes in society.
It takes one.
The reason there's a market for organic chicken sales all over America is because one executive at Panera bread didn't like the quality of chicken they were purchasing.
So they stopped buying the chicken he didn't like, and created a national market demand that helped farmers expand into more responsibly raised chicken.
The entire organic and slow food movement is millions of stories of individuals making a positive change in the world.
One man alone makes possible the things millions of people want, that they're convinced will never happen. ❤
Without that man at Panera no grocery stores would have organic chicken.
Because they had it at food distribution centers grocery stores have it.
Because grocery stores have it individual families can buy it and support local farmers making high quality food.
Before Panera made the demand, they were told there was no market for it, and no one would want it and it would never happen.
It did. One executive saying, only buy better quality ingredients made it possible. ❤
Let me say this: his videos *are* repayable, bc I have to rewind every single video to parse thru the dense information 😄
This channel has a pretty solid soundtrack.
Love your content bro
You should do a video on shamanic use of psychedelics. They have helped many people overcome addiction and are capable of shifting consciousness in a positive, life affirming way that can save humanity.
This man has the ability to give Anti-Capitalist info in fun videos and actual good info
god you already know youtube de monitzies every single video you make i hope you get more recognition honestly fuck youtube
Learning about the role of drugs and drug users within society is what got me thinking about the process of othering people that have existed throughout history.