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If You're a Vegetarian Who Uses Illegal Drugs, You Are a HUGE Hypocrite. 

6/16/2016

6 Comments

 
Mario Berlanga, a graduate of the Stanford Graduate School of Business Class of 2016, recently gave this talk before his peers:
In it, he discussed the tragic and horrifying reality of the illegal drug supply chain.

He shares stories about friends and families being kidnapped and murdered by drug cartels. He shares statistics about how many men, women, law enforcement officers, and children will be killed during his short speech.

If it doesn't break your heart, you aren't human.

Berlanga proceeds to discuss the hypocrisy of people who buy sweatshop-free clothing, wear conflict-free diamonds, and eat vegetarian or vegan foods... only to use illegal drugs.

Because the impact you will have on human lives by using illegal drugs is infinitely larger than the one you will have by choosing conflict-free diamonds. 

And if you're a vegetarian who uses illegal drugs, it means you care about livestock lives more than human lives. 

It means you're okay with funding mass murders carried out by drug cartels. You're okay with gangs forcing children -- children! -- to work for them. To carry their drugs and do their dirty work and kill for them.

In other words: if you do illegal drugs, you are a horrible person.

The obvious exception is using legal marijuana or drugs whose source you know is not a cartel. 

Berlanga ends by saying: 
I desperately need your held. I know that each one of us can bring about a huge change. Think about this: 

Recreational users spend between $200 and 2,000 every month. Just to give you a picture of what this means for the cartels:

With $200, they can get a tousand new rounds of ammunition.

$500, a brand new AK-47 rifle.

$700 pays the monthly cost of a full-time employee on their death squad.

What if you, or someone close to you, stopped buying drugs? You could single-handedly help prevent several kidnappings, extortions, or worse.

​Take his words to heart. Make moral decisions.
6 Comments
Jessica
6/17/2016 08:47:51 am

Love your blog and your information on psychology has made my life better but this

"And if you're a vegetarian who uses illegal drugs, it means you care about livestock lives more than human lives." is not sound reasoning I don't think.

I could say that if you eat Hershey chocolate and adopt a shelter pet you care more about animals than people - because chocolate involves the slave trade - including children.

The illegal drug trade is horrible - at least some people want to legalize weed for that reason. And it is annoying to have someone carry on about something regarding rights/suffering while smoking weed that probably contributed to atrocities.

But I seek to reduce suffering. I would never claim to be able to eliminate it. You care about people. Are you being a disgusting hypocrite when you use any transportation that requires oil?

I haven't watched the video yet (I will) and I admit it's silly to comment before watching. But I'm taken back by the quality of this post - including your reasoning. I would have thought that you would know jumping on people like this would make people defensive - not reflective. Nuance you know?

Reply
Eva Glasrud link
6/17/2016 01:28:26 pm

Well, to be fair, I was relaying the argument Mario Berlanga made in the video -- he is the one made the point that the drug trade is the most profitable crime, therefore drawing the world's worst criminals. And that, by buying their products, you are supporting them -- which seems hypocritical, when you consider that some people who buy sweatshop free, conflict free or vegetarian also use illegal drugs. The parallel isn't perfect, but I think he makes an interesting point.

Berlanga's message and personal stories were extremely powerful, and I have been telling my own friends for a long time, "Know your source." If you grow your own weed, fine! Smoke as much as you want. If you buy it legally, even better! But if you don't know where it's coming from, there's a good chance you've got blood on your hands.

In general, I'm opposed to conflating unrelated issues -- e.g., IF you're a feminist THEN you must also be anti-Israel. I'm not saying all vegetarians must be anti-drug. I just think this video offers an interesting perspective, and I wanted to share it.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

Reply
1000 Islands Addiction Rehab link
3/28/2017 01:06:22 pm

Through scientific research, much more is now known about how exactly drugs work in the brain, and we also know that drug addiction treatments can be successful in offering help for addiction. With a better understanding of addiction and drug abuse, it is hoped that better addiction treatment programs can be designed.

Reply
Addiction Rehab Toronto link
3/28/2017 01:54:24 pm

I often found myself wondering why so many people relapsed into their old habits not long after having received drug addiction treatment. In the beginning I was prone to believe that it was the norm and that it was the natural process of the treatment cycle, this however was while I myself was still a junkie.

Reply
Human
9/10/2019 09:22:21 am

Not to debate the morality of hurting yourself through drug addiction, that’s a different topic, but many addicts take prescription pills which doesn’t help drug cartels or with the case of weed buy from people getting it from legal states

Reply
Gregory Airliner link
2/28/2023 12:32:18 am

I'm a vegetarian, and I agree with this. Anyone who makes use of any drugs is indeed a hypocrite.

Reply



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