Quote Originally Posted by Shoeberto View Post
Quote Originally Posted by Del Murder View Post
The war on drugs killed PSH? Come on. He had an addiction to a dangerous (and rightfully illegal) substance. He should not have broken the law to repeatedly use the substance in the first place. It's a terrible loss to the entertainment industry, but he's responsible for his undoing, not the government.
I couldn't disagree with you more. I wanted to write up a response to this a few days ago but I didn't have time - luckily, Russel brand wrote a few things about Hoffman and the nature of addiction that pretty well sum up my thoughts. I sincerely hope you take the time to read and reflect on what he says.
It was hard to get through those (not a fan of Brand's writing style) but I did read them. I don't agree with his conclusions but it was some good insight. It seems like it is more of the culture surrounding the law rather than the law itself that results in these things happening with frequency.

Maybe I will never truly understand addiction because I am gifted with an incredible self-will which prevents me from being addicted to anything, and a life free of depression which removes the desire of using drugs in the first place. So when these things happen I can't help but wonder how the victim 'let' them happen. Maybe addiction is a powerful disease and is not rational, but at the end of the day it is your own self that makes you stick that needle in your arm. Hoffman was 23 years sober before this happened so obviously he was capable of not doing drugs. Even Russell Brand has done it for 10 years. Anyone can overcome addiction and it's really up to that individual to choose what path they take, not the government.