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View Full Version : What's the difference between 'hard' and 'soft' drugs?



Sistersteel
04-13-2009, 01:11 AM
There's no difference.

These are just old slang phrases from years back which were used to make a distinction between drugs that were seen to be very dangerous - like heroin - and those then seen as less dangerous - like cannabis. Such distinctions are pretty meaningless.


Don't believe me?

Well, think of alcohol. Alcohol is a drug that contributes towards the illness, injury or death of many tens of thousands of people each year.
It's involved in most cases of domestic violence; it's a major cause of accidents at work; it's responsible for much of the violence on our streets - and senseless injury and death on our roads.



Is alcohol a hard drug or a soft drug? What do you think?


Alternatively - consider tobacco. Tobacco is a physically addictive drug that has been proved to contribute to many debilitating or fatal illnesses - both for the tobacco user and for those around him or her.

Is tobacco a hard drug or a soft drug? What do you think?


Now consider heroin. Although heroin is physically addictive, less than 200 people each year die from heroin misuse in the US. That's far less than the number who die as a result of using either alcohol or tobacco.

Is heroin a hard drug or a soft drug? What do you think?


I hope you can see the contradictions here. The concepts of 'hard' or 'soft' drugs are very artificial. Their meaning (i.e. lots/little - or big/small) depends on what's being referred to.


Does hard/soft refer to the addictiveness of a drug? Does it refer to the health consequences of drug use? If so, tobacco must be at or near the top - or 'hard' end - so why are tobacco companies allowed to peddle hard drugs?


Does it refer to the social consequences of drug taking? If so, booze must be counted as the 'hardest' drug, so why does the government allow hard drugs in the form of alcohol to be sold openly?


I believe that all drugs are just that - drugs. They are neither hard or soft, high or low, black or white. Just drugs. And the abuse of any drug can carry serious consequences for the individual and for society as a whole.
I don't believe there are any exceptions to this and I feel that the artificial distinction of 'hard' or 'soft' drugs is one that is best avoided. Otherwise, it is easy for an individual to justify his or her drug use by saying - "I only take soft drugs" - and as we've seen, that's a nonsense in terms of the consequences resulting from any drug abuse.