Does Drug Use Make You Bad?

 By Universal Pictures (Touch of Evil trailer) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Study of Prison Inmates Suggests Yes

In a prior post we asked the question whether alcohol makes you sick. Long ago we asked whether alcohol makes you stupid. Now we ask whether drug use makes you bad.

People who can’t tell right from wrong often get arrested and incarcerated.  Now it turns out that repeated drug use may impair the region of the brain responsible for moral decision-making. In other words, heavy drug users may lose the ability to completely tell right from wrong, so they go on to commit crime.

Well, that's kind of the conclusion reached in a study of prison inmates, entitled Abnormal fronto-limbic engagement in incarcerated stimulant users during moral processing, and published in Psychopharmacology.

We’re not talking about all illegal drugs, but the stimulants cocaine and methamphetamines. Chronic cocaine and meth users seem to have difficulty integrating emotions into their moral processing. That would mean a decision concerning whether or not to perform certain immoral/criminal acts would not be limited by emotions or feelings of guilt, shame, sorrow, or remorse.

Okay, so long term cocaine and meth use doesn't make you bad, but it does seem to impair the part of the brain responsible for moral processing.  


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California Lawyer Arrested Twice Has Some Explaining to Do

A California lawyer from Marin County has been arrested – twice – on drug related charges.  The story is here.  By the way, the paraphernalia in the photo is NOT from the attorney. 
Earlier in the month, the attorney was stopped by California Highway Patrol after he was allegedly driving almost 100 mph on Highway 101.  His car was searched when it was determined his license had been suspended and he had no proof of insurance.  A drug pipe, meth, prescription meds, and a possible counterfeit bill were found.  Later, the police continued with a search of the attorney’s home, where they found drug pipes, more meth, marijuana baggies, and more counterfeit bills.  As he was being processed for jail more meth was found on his person.

Methamphetamine is a central nervous system stimulant that is similar in structure to amphetamine. Due to its high potential for abuse, methamphetamine is classified as a Schedule II drug and is available only through a prescription that cannot be refilled. Although methamphetamine can be prescribed by a doctor, its medical uses are limited, and the doses that are prescribed are much lower than those typically abused. Most of the methamphetamine abused in this country comes from foreign or domestic superlabs, although it can also be made in small, illegal laboratories, where its production endangers the people in the labs, neighbors, and the environment.

California attorneys suffering from substance abuse and addiction problems should consider calling the State Bar’s Lawyer Assistance Program, it’s confidential.   

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