Also, I was not hedging on heroin. I stated: “Heroin and other opiates seem to be especially addictive.” Note my use of the word “especially.” What I meant is that heroin and other opiates seem to be even more addictive than other drugs (say cocaine and other stimulants). But, I’m, not a toxicologist, so I don’t have all the stats on that.

I have a suspicion–which I hope is not true–that your main objection to my post is that I used a quote from a major “religious” figure (Note: I think Buddhism is more a “way of liberation” than a religion in the western sense of the word). Does a reference to the spiritual side of life offend you that much?

http://davidsimon.com/deandre-mccullough-1977-2012/

There are any number of reasons why one might become addicted to a substance. Heroin and other opiates seem to be especially addictive. Addicts build up a tolerance and require ever larger doses to avoid the pains of withdrawal. If you have never seen a person going through Heroin withdrawal, I can tell you it is like watching someone going through a very serious bout of the flu.

But that is the chemical and biological aspect of addiction. Aside from this, I believe that the addict is attempting to fill or rise above a void in their lives. They attempt to do this by stimulating and/or depressing their central nervous systems. With this in mind, I wonder why anyone thinks a jail/prison cell or other form of correctional control will ever help the addict. State action cannot fill the addict’s void. State action cannot stop the addict from running from himself. You can’t punish craving out of existence, you must let it go.

The drug war, or whatever officials choose to call the prohibition of substances like heroin, is a war against the marginalized other. Drug warriors never think addiction can happen to people they love or to themselves. They believe this until it does happen. We are all susceptible to addictive behaviors to some degree. We all run from our problems. We all obsess over cravings. So why would we put people, who aren’t so different from ourselves, in a cage for succumbing to addiction. Drug warriors may feel superior but they are putting themselves in a cage too.

I thought it stood for ‘Good Enough Degree’.

Wiki says, ‘General Educational Development[1][2][3][4](or GED) tests are a group of five subject tests which, when passed, certify that the taker has American or Canadian high school-level academic skills. The initials GED have also been used on diplomas to mean General Education Diploma, General Equivalency Diploma[5][6][7][8] or Graduate Equivalency Degree.’