"Drugs Aren't the Problem": Neuroscientist Carl Hart on Brain Science & Myths about Addiction 

For me I found myself becoming niahlistic, and very apathetic towards people because I was feeling overwhelmed by the pressures of society, I suffer from ADHD and because of life traumas I found myself idealizing horrible things, thoughts I wasn't proud of, for me cannabis allowed an escape to a place where I can introspectively examine my life and and gave me another reason to live, my work pressures became minimal, burnout started to reset. what has worked best was all the harm reduction information I found on the internet. To say drugs have no good function for society is a lie, it just requires a strong respect for what you consume regardless of how safe it is and support from your community rather than the usual shaming you get from neurotypical humans who assume if I'm fine then that means you should be too.

Sam Miller is a certified working class hero. Your career and politics are like a power couple. 💥

Agreed!

I can't believe that Dr. Ben Carson is more famous than this guy!

geekdivaherself Who?

Spirit of addiction Jesus sets you free .

A MEN

responsible use of WHAT???? OMg though... like be serious😂

@@samanthataylor7817responsible use of alcohol is a thing and that’s more destructive than any other drug

They are in their own minds...

Or work with them. They need to actually do their job about busting substances coming in the county and leave American people alone with zero reason for them to continue to terrify and harm them, and for so for so long now.. they are so corrupt!

No, we just need to get rid of the DEA.

@@robertcrusher1972 the DEA answers to no one. They run their shit, their way. They are the most powerful, legal gang in the world. Alot of DEA agents have very shady and checkered pasts.

@@clownchaostime3024 while I agree with you, I’m talking about how we can’t get rid of them “today”. One of their cash cows right now is to harm people in pain, and it seems likely that they did that when they couldn’t attack people about cannabis to the extent that they were able to do in the past. I was explaining that if they WERENT corrupt, they would be focusing on other things than what they do. I have had to live in fear of them much of my life, by being close to people that value cannabis and are POC, and then my own illnesses and what medications I utilize to have semblance of life. It’s people like Perdue MIXED with protections and corruption of the DEA that should matter to us all. That I used an example of what it would look like IF they did their jobs right (yeah right, they have always known about what is getting inside the country anyway) and WEREN’T corrupt doesn’t mean that I agree that they should exist. However, we have limited *close to no* control in the US, so that is what I’m speaking to:They exist. -My comment was a *band aid concept* because of that lack of control of the people I’m a harm reductionist, and think everything should be legalized and decriminalized. If Portugal can do it, so can we. But not likely to happen in the U.S. they are too busy traumatizing sick and poor people and POC constantly, and making money off of people all at the same time. A lot like how the police do things. 🤷🏻👍

@@clownchaostime3024 but if we had the ability to dissolve them, I’d be all for that. So would a lot of people I want massive change too, but not sure that the U.S knows how to do that...about much of ANYTHING.

+bishplis not always wrong

That's why I come to youtube. To ignore the person who knows their shit and really learn from all the imbeciles that comment.

If we don't learn from what's not working, that'd be the way their doing it now. Or if we can't reach for something better we will be stuck believing the world is flat or on the back of a Titan. Come on folk's if these drugs or so terrible we need to get rid of our government which allowing companies to manufacture and distribute them. Of course I think the government needs a major overhaul. I had a friend had his daughter taken because some jerk got pissed and called defac. With no apparent proof they went to the school and started interigsting the principle the child's teacher and class mates. Here's the kicker. She was the #1 student in her grade, teachers pet, and NEVER made a grade below 100. That's right 100. It should have stopped right there. No they went to the house, which was in order, the father working his ass off to provide. They want to swab his and moms mouth. Yeah they used but the child was not in harms way. I know cause I made sure, i wasn't concerned with their drug use I had heard other stories about different abuse which was false. I call that a violation of civil rights. Made want to hurt someone. They took the child disrupted her now who knows if shell recover. Personally I know she will because I made sure there some manner. A way that didn't destroy the child. But so many times there's no one there to help. We need to stop the direction we are headed b4 its to late, or is it already to late. You come to me with news of debt Telling me were on the edge of regret The world clock sits at three tics from hell Vibrations toll from the church bell Old news from histories past Chronic sanity goes no where fast I want to help me break lose and be free Want you please help us see how you and I can be we Panic among the many is always news Esteem taught only for the reviews Caught in a circle with no way in Hiding the obvious in a word called sin Hoping for excuses so we can pretend Blaming others brings our end I want to help me break lose and be free Want you help us see how you and I can be we

Because we are the addicts. Our friendly Doctors who are now going to Prison, just dropped us. Are you 65 years old? Do you even know what pain is yet?

Joy Vradenburg I'm not 65 but I do know what pain is. Believe it or not my worst pain comes from my heart. Emotionally.

missdiablica666 i use many drugs, meth being one of my main. My rule of thumb no matter how much i use, no matter how often is to immediately end drug use when negative life issues start cropping up. I never use drugs to cope with anything and have never been addicted despite using what society considers hard drugs for almost a decade now.

100 agree! well stated.

May God bless you and your people with rich blessings. Amen

good luck with that.. all due respect.. it's completely unrealistic. I respect ur efforts and willing attitude. 😂I find it kinda funny even so. it's sad to see hopeful ppl meaning well and thinking of change go down the path of useless antics. 💔 falling on deaf ears.

That's right!

Dr Hart would question you on that point you think you have made. He would ask you to define what you think "addiction" is and what it really is. Tossing a word around is part of the problem we have in this country.

Food is the most addictive substance in the world.

@@zoesdada8923 Nah water then food

Usually there’s an underlying medical condition or stress-induced issues that lead to overeating. Takes a lot of health literacy to get the right solution.

Arkinight couldn't agree more. Gabor Mate should certainly be a name that is brought up in any debate on these issues

Kind of hard to do that when half the nation is brainwashed into thinking any spending on the general public is teh dreaded communism!

***** Interesting. Not sure what you mean by your comment, "they continue to increase the amount they take from us to give to others." Tax rates on the wealthiest Americans are at their lowest in 30 years. Global recessions typically result in an increase in so-called 'welfare' spending. Redistribution of wealth is the function of all government systems. Especially in the US given the fact that spending is the primary economic driver.

Typical moronic, self important, soyboy. The only reason we get to have "social issues" is due to military protection. If not for our powerful military you would be living in some work camp somewhere being used as slave labor. Other nations and people are waiting for us to show weakness. People like you, social justice idiots are nothing but weakness.

Ouvi todo o programa. Esplêndido depoimento! Merece toda a atenção. Cumprimentos

​@@blackadam2533 More like people kill for money more than they have ever killed for "drugs". Do you need evidence? Whats your relation to the Duterte regime?

You are illiterate pal.

@@keithrobinson1956 oh no, is his teacher gonna give him a D-?

ReCkLeSsErr0r cuz people think occasional indulgence = addiction. it's maddening to be a non-addict to drugs, and kept being accused of being an addict by just occasionally consuming a drug.

***** It's also maddening being an addict and being told that that precludes me from being an articulate, compassionate, capable human being.

Sorry to hear you have an addictive personality. However I think addiction can be overcome in the mind first.

***** I don't see why my personality needs to be "overcome" rather than managed, just like my other mental and physical health issues. LBR here, the only reason is because of the stigma associated with addiction, because it's viewed as a flaw or weakness rather than a legitimate health issue. I am on prescribed opiates and have a good quality of life, I am a mother, I have two very lucky cats, some good people in my life and a roof over my head and good food in my belly. I look at it this way; I use a crutch to help me walk and my opiates help to ease both the physical pain and help to ease the symptoms of a lifetime of bipolar II and anxiety- I don't see it as being any less valid a choice as using my physical crutch. And neither do my pain management doctors, because they also specialise in addiction and understand the attitudes towards long term addicts is down to moral outrage rather than sound science. So please, don't feel sorry for me, I certainly don't :)

***** No...lol That is not exactly true. I would agree to some point, that the mind does have a heavily influence on how one’s thinking goes. Yes that is true. But.. There are other factors to why people having drug abuse, due to the fact of high levels of depression. If you study chemistry and genetics, you will see that some people genetically are born with a gene that creates the chemical imbalance for high levels of depression and suicide. In those cases the mind doesn’t have a chance, especially for those people who have a much more week mind on dealing with problems, issues, criticisms, and some of the sufferings that life can throw at you. For many people who are addicted to heroin or cocaine; and other drugs, as like alcohol too. Even though I don’t have an addictive personality, but if you’ve been around people with high levels of depression, and how they react on prescription pills, or heroin. You notice then calming down and having less issues on very depressing, and suicidal thoughts. For some of those people heroin or cocaine could feel like the only relief they can really have. Some people’s minds are just not prepared and are very weak to deal with life. But then, study chemistry and genetics to which DNA runs a terrible mock. Well..you have a whole another problem at hand. Therefore, the mind for some people with his bad genetic makeup, will lose the fight. And this is the issue that we need to study, and deal with this as a form of a social disease with depression, to which it will turn into drug abuse. Society has failed at this, and looking at the real Science...

that comment was so "uninteresting".

Live Vegan Not really.. What specifically do you take issue with? Is the problem the fact he's not willing to jump on the anti alcohol bandwagon? Alcohol does make people more interesting because it breaks down barriers and acts as a truth serum for allot of people, say what you want regarding subjective matters, but that's simply a fact. This may help people whom are so absurdly shy and have interesting ideas to reveal..

@@tyroneslyce4879 yea, alcohol is social lubricant

and what reply do you actually have besides baseless criticism? you used a lot of words to not actually say anything, dumbass

Both the cults you named are narrow minded and have old ideas.

Well said.

Same here but it was when I was working near skid row. I've seen people doing coke at weekends at parties and not becoming addicted though.

@@georgew.douche26yearsago65 You can do coke everyday without becoming addicted...I've done coke everyday at my job, to do my job better. I would do two or three lines a day, (very small amount), just to stimulate myself enough to do my work faster, better, with more focus... And i never became addicted. I just stopped using. Today i use cocaine sometimes as well, about once in every 2 months.

Chris Bishop agreed!

You're absolutely correct. I am one of those broken people. If your life in general is F'd up don't do drugs it'll make it even worse. Oh and if you have low self esteem; forget about it.

Well, amongst those who speak openly about addiction to the public, he is in the minority. However, I believe a high percentage of scientists in this world, perhaps even the majority, concur with what Dr. Hart is saying. The data doesn't lie; most people who use psychoactive substances recreationally, even "hard" drugs like cocaine, methamphetamine, opiates, etc, continue to lead functional lives and never become addicts. The reality is that non-addicted recreational users often have no difficulties hiding their use from whomever they wish, and therefore the "Face of Addiction" becomes the obvious, depressing wastrel smoking/shooting/chugging their drug of choice in an alley-- and as Hart points out, the media and many medical health professionals intentionally perpetuate the misconception that most recreational drug users are addicts. Alcohol is, after all, a very powerful drug, and most people who imbibe are not alcoholics...

I would like to see Dr. Hart try crack and heroin a few times to see if he can stay functional after using them.

@@CrowdPleeza He actually did bunch of heroin and crack...He stated that in his book and joe rogan interview. And also...Switz is the perfect example of heroin addicts being functional... The reason heroin addicts get disfunctional in the first place is bcs social and law unacceptance...People who use heroin are usually left out on streets, and they get sucked into criminal cycal bcs of stupid law.

I doubt it damages the lungs more than Cigarettes can and I doubt it damages the brain more than Alcohol can. I highly recommend you watch the documentary that's on Netflix "The House i live in", which Carl Hart is featured in, which further explains my brief statements.

Um, if you smoke crack, you smoke cigarettes. The two go hand in hand.

Heather Dawn Culpepper Long term health effects do not justify criminalization of a substance. If that were the case, tobacco and alcohol use and/or possession would be criminal behavior.

Heather Dawn Culpepper Thats a faulty generalization. I have a friend who was a former crack addict and he has never touched one cigarette.

Yeah, right.

He brought that up in another video though

+c23am agree

Any addiction can kill you.

Yeah agree....Drinking 10 beers a day is way worse then smoking 10 joints, of course... But i think dr. Hart was talking about something different... For example most people who drink alcohol dont drink that much, but they drink one or two drinks a day or even a weak.. So one ore two drinks a day can be healthier then one two joints a day.... So from that perspective, alcohol can be less harmful...