Re: Minors Consenting to the use of substances.

Well, just like for sex, I think we lack realistic education for drugs and alcohol. Those need to be in place. I wonder if we'll ever have them in place sometimes.

Provided all that education were in place, then I think we need to look at neutral studies on the way each substance affects the health of people generally and kids specifically. In some cases I know they can have serious negative longterm effects on people who are still growing. On the other hand, I am long sick of studies which happen to reach the desired conclusion of the people who funded the study to begin with.

Once you know which substances are likely to do what, then it becomes a matter of what you call freedom or liberty, and who you apply it to. If everyone were free to do anything (to themselves), there would probably be a period of disaster in a society, with OD's and the like, but then I think personal responsibility takes over. When something is simply outlawed, nobody has to be responsible about it, and when you first remove that law, there's going to be a party period. It's similar to my views about AOC laws.

Personally, I would ask why in some cultures the kids can drink wine with their dinner or sit around with the adults in a circle smoking the magic substance, and they don't come to a terrible end. I think it's wise to have a limited amount of restrictions, especially where health is affected, but don't try to legalize hard liquor at the same time you eliminate the age of consent. Somethin like that. Some laws are good, and some laws are only necessary because people are ignorant about the ways they can be harmed or taken advantage of.