An opinion piece about judging drug users.
-Jorin Schepers-
“Oh, so she’s one of those people?”
This is what my mum said after I’d told her that one of my friends enjoys the occasional joint. I’d like to add that she had already known this friend for a couple of years before this conversation and was perfectly aware of what kind of person she is. Therefore, it made absolutely no sense to me that she came out with this comment. Why did the drugs comment change my mum’s opinion of this friend? Does taking drugs really change you as a person, as this comment seemed to imply?
Personally, I absolutely do not agree with these comments at all. However, I have to admit that I understand where they’re coming from, as this is something that I have heard people say all my life. The strong conviction that drug use is a bad thing is definitely at the root of this, probably leading to the conclusion that people who indulge in these bad and potentially dangerous substances must all have some traits in common. This does not mean that I think it’s okay to judge a person based on this, but then again, I don’t ever think that judging others is okay.
You must have heard these kinds of comments before, as the prejudice that comes with drug use is a worldwide phenomenon. There seems to be a common consensus that people who use drugs, occasionally or daily, can all be filed under the same category. Once people know you use or have used drugs, it seems as if you can now only be defined as a drug user, completely ignoring your personality. In fact, it seems as though knowledge of drug use even has the effect of changing someone’s personality, morphing them into a different person than they are known to be. It must be so frustrating for people to have others judge their entire person based on just one aspect of their lives.
This might be especially hard for users who are seeking help. There is already enough stigma around drug addiction, so why not take this one aspect away from it? It’s already a big enough step admitting to yourself and/or others that you have a problem, and this shouldn’t be accompanied by the constant fear that people are going to make assumptions about you that are completely untrue. Sadly, at this point in time it’s still accepted to judge a person based on whether or not they use drugs.
It seems to me that the need to judge people and put them in boxes is the main reason why people are so quick to judge those who enjoy drugs. Is there any way this can be stopped? Will the world even start seeing drug users for what they really are, instead of trying to put them in boxes? If anything, will we at least get rid of the need to judge them incessantly and just accept that it’s none of our business? I personally hope so, because spending every day of your life judging or being judged seems very tiring and time-consuming; and let’s be real, life is busy enough already.
Writers on Drugs 