Are 'Legal Drugs' as Dangerous as Illegal?

Good point...but the pharmaceutical substances are not taken for the sole purpose of recreational intoxication the way that recreational intoxicants ( drugs ) are consumed for the sole purpose of getting all bent out of shape and totally wasted and blitzed and stoned to the max.
People take Pharmaceuticals for what ails them and often to relieve them of pain and suffering and people are not thinking about the intoxicating effects of the substances when they are seeking medical help.
There is a big difference concering "why" people take the pharmaceutical drugs in the first place verses the presently illegal recreational purpose drugs.
In the case of Pharmaceuticals many people really do not know what to do other than consult their doctor and follow the doctors instructions in the belief or hope that the doctor is going to sincerely correct their medical condition.
The side effects are a concern naturally but the people taking the medicines are not taking them to get "stoned on" while the recreational drugs ( intoxicants ) are specifically consumed by people for their intoxicating effects and for recreational enjoyment purposes.
You can argue that the recreational drugs also have medicinal purposes which is absoloutly true as many of the pharmaceutical drugs are derived from the same plant substances that are used for recreational purposes...so there is a conflict of interests concerning people self administering various kinds of beneficial plant substances for medical reasons....but they happen to also be known intoxicants and can be mentally and or physically addicting for many people.
If Marijuana is legalised ( the least harmfull and least detrimental of all the classified narcotics ) there will then become all the more of a conflict of interest concerning the use of the drug for medicinal purposes.The drug will be consumed mainly for recreational purposes more so while many other people are consuming it legally and claiming it is a better medicine than the Pharmaceutical drugs that would be in competition with Marijuana for medicinal purposes.
Although most people know that the intoxicant known as Marijuana is also usefull for medicinal purposes and or health reasons the government is not going to acknowledge the use of the substance until someone or some entities, so to speak , prove to the FDA and other government regulatory agencies the beneficial aspects of its medicinal or health related aspects while also clearly stating its negative aspects....the same way the Pharmaceutical industry is legally obligated to publicly forewarn the citizens about the numerous hazards or potential hazards when consuming such medicinal purpose substances or any by product substances derived from Marijuana.
If Marijuana is to be included as a medicinal product also then it creates its own set of problems because while the government would want to bring it under control as a usefull medicine the available recreational use product, with the same or similar medicinal benefits and or effects, can be legally purchased by way of recreational use purchases.
I would think, eventually, the medicinal aspects of the substance would be separated from the intoxicating aspects of the substance and people could choose to purchase Pharmaceutical grade medical purpose products "derived" from Marijuana ( Hemp) and more than likely most of them would not have the intoxicating effects attached to them by way of science and the ability to seperate and isolate the intoxicating elements from the beneficial medicinal purpose elements.
Meantime people who have a medical problem would be thinking: "Why not just smoke the legally available recreational product and address the medical condition at the same time while also enjoying the intoxicating effects and in effect "self administering" the substance for medicinal purposes...while having fun doing so ...as many people presently do just that.
Some what of a legal conundrum concerning the legal medicinal status of the substance verses the legal recreational use status of the substance.

healthimpactnews:
"11 percent of Americans ages 12 and older now use prescribed antidepressant/psychoticdrugs. (CDC November 2011 report)
At least 106,000 people die each year from drugs which are properly prescribed and properly administered. More than two million suffer serious side effects. (Lazarou J, Pomeranz BH, Corey PN: “Incidence of adverse drug reactions in hospitalized patients.” JAMA 1998;279:1200.
Illegal drugs, including cocaine and heroin, are responsible for an estimated 10,000-20,000 American deaths per year. (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. CDC. 2007;56(05):93-96.)"
"Please note that the statistics in the second point above, 106,000 deaths from legally prescribed drugs, does not even factor in deaths from legal drugs that are not prescribed, but obtained for recreational purposes through theft, through corrupt doctors, or from friends, etc. which is a growing problem."
http://healthimpactnews.com/2...
New York Times:
"Drugs with benzodiazepine, mainly depressants like Valium and Xanax, led to 743 deaths. Alcohol was the most commonly occurring drug, appearing in the bodies of 4,179 of the dead and judged the cause of death of 466 — fewer than cocaine (843) but more than methamphetamine (25) and marijuana (0)."
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/0...

Yes...but your not taking into account the number of users of the presrciption drugs as compared to the number of users of the recreational drugs ( Marijuana aside)
If there were as many users of the non essential recreational drugs as there are users of the prescription drugs then you would be seeing a whole lot more deaths and various detriments caused by the presently illegal non essential, recreational drugs used and or abused by the citizens at large.
But I would surmize the recreational drugs are not as detrimental as many of the prescription drugs because many of the prescription drug formulas are made from some really nasty chemical toxins and lethal ingredients that can and do kill people.
But yes, everyone agrees that the so called "helpfull" prescription drugs come with all kinds of dangers and liabilities and they are, if anything, just as problematic in many aspects as the presently deemed illegal non essential recreational intoxicants that are available to the citizens.
As I pointed out previously the use and purposes of the drugs has to be acknowledged.
The presently deemed illegal drugs are consumed for the sole purpose of personal recreational intoxication and not for medicinal purposes while the prescription drugs are not manufactured and or sold for the purpose of recreational intoxication.

There is a fundamental big difference between the uses and purposes of the prescription drugs verses recreational intoxicants consumed solely for the purpose of getting stoned or high or ripped or blitzed out of your mind.

When it comes to the future legalisation of the presently deemed illegal, non essential recreational drugs....be careful what you wish for because when the big, profit orientated mega corporations are given the legal go ahead to manufacture and supply the presently illegal non essential, recreational drugs "legally" then all the more people will be addicted to the recreational purpose drugs...legally.
And they will be legally allowed to sell you a load of prescription drugs that are designed to wean you off the original addictive non essential, recreational drugs that they legally had you addicted to in the first place.
A near perfect business model virtually sustained by all the bonehead druggies that insist on consuming the crap in the first place.
In this case I would surmize the "big, bad government", that everyone likes to lament and criticize is actually protecting you from rampant corporate greed and the sinister agendas of the mega corporations that would love to feed you as much of the legal profit making intoxicating substances as they legally can.
The more the better ...right??

i will have to disagree with ,most of you.i have been in 3 bad car wrecks that damaged my back!the first wreck happened becuase a man was a driving illegally .he had ep-seizures.i was working for keebler cookie mfg.i was waiting to turn in to a store when this guy had a seizure.he hit the back of my car.it knocked the radio into the back seat.it knocked my bucket seats plum out of the car floor.it knocked my head into the back of my head reast and then the windsheild.it knocked me out.this man was not suppose to be driving period.i had to have my first back surgery.i finally got back to work .7 years later an illegal alien hit my truck in the rear .i was working for purina dog chow company that day.i had left a food lion store heading to another store.when this mexican hit my truck,it knocked the back of my head into the back glass,then it hit the windsheild.it knocked me out again.the mexican took off running.i had to have emergency back surgery ,titanium rods in my low back,wire ray cage into the front of my spine,i had three bone fussions to my spine.both times were when i was working.both times both of these drivers was not suppose to be driving.i know this is a isolated incident but after several surgeries ,the doctors told me there was nothing more they could do for me except make me comfortable with medications.i have always took the meds exactly like the dr. said to.i never had any problems.it when people sell,give,or abuse prescriptions.its not the doctors fault.when people choose to abuse there meds ,thats no fault but there own.i could not have a normal life if it wasnt for the help of fine doctors who have done a great job helping me have a somewhat life with out having to be in a wheelchair.if it was nt for the meds,i could not get up,take a shower,get dressed,fix food,just normal things we all take for granit.i applaud the doctors in this great country.its the people who abuse medicines who make it hard on people like me who have had lagitimate injuries that i could not help.i thank god for these doctors.i ve had to rely on these wonderful doctors for almost 12 years.i don't abuse what they give me.its fair to say there is only about 5% of the abusers who make it bad for chronic pain suffers like me and others.the news media always blows up the cases where people like michael jackson,anna nicole smith and many other celebreties abuse pill from 4 or 5 different doctors.what do you expect if these movie stars are getting pills from several different doctors and under false names.i know of hundreds of chronic pain suffers who had similar incidents like mine that do well with there drs and medicines.its those who abuse the system.when thousands of people like me start taking a stand to tell our side of this issue ,then maybe the world will began to know the real truth.when all of you start to check into the many thousands of us who have to rely on meds for a normal life due to unforseen accidents similar to mine,then you all will or should have a little more understanding for chronic pain suffers.its these ones who abuse prescribed medications that hurt the true chronic pain suffers that have had injuries,surgeries,wrecks,been in wars,iraq,afganistan,veitnam.... and think of those who could not help getting hurt through no fault of there own.thanks and god bless!