Russell Brand has never been accused of being shy. As we’ve reported, he’s quite anti-criminalization when it comes to drugs. Since then, he’s gotten even more on the scene as an activist. Now he’s called for a spiritual revolution to combat those laws concerning drug users.
Willing to Break the Law
His main point is the same one he’s made before, that making drugs illegal doesn’t stop people from taking drugs. When he was asked about his own drug use and whether the illegality deterred him, he answered that, really, it only complicated the situation—which certainly makes a lot of sense. I’m not sure I know any addicts who cooled it with drugs because they were concerned about law breaking.
What Brand is trying to get politicians to understand is that addiction is a disease that requires therapy and compassion, not to be pushed underground and behind bars. He feels drugs should be controlled and prescribed instead of criminalized. And he states openly that this would have helped him.
The Value of a Vote
One interviewer mentions that it’s odd that Russell Brand has a petition for politicians to discuss drug laws in Parliament, when he, himself, has never voted. Brand refuses to be derailed by the argument and maintains that he still has the right to prompt his government to work for him. In an earlier interview, he said, “It is not that I am not voting out of apathy. I am not voting out of absolute indifference and weariness and exhaustion from the lies, treachery and deceit of the political class that has been going on for generations.”
Brand, of course, isn’t saying that drugs, when misused, aren’t highly destructive. His issue is with what the laws do to addicts—how they hurt instead of help.
Never one to think small, Brand wants his revolution.
A Guy Can Dream, Can’t He?
I don’t know if I’ll see drugs de-criminalized in my lifetime. Who knows? I never thought I’d see legalized medicinal marijuana and that certainly exists. It seems politicians are starting to wake up to the notion that sending drug abusers away doesn’t stop drug abuse. If anything, it mostly serves to make drug dealers rich as they only function in a black market.
I grew up in the 80’s when Nancy Reagan told us to just say no. Of course, pretty much no one just says “no” when they prefer to say “yes.” It’s magical thinking. It’s over-simplifying a solution to a complex problem.
I love that Russell Brand is so outspoken. When we get sober, we have so much energy. Some people go back to school, some take up cooking and others embrace causes. I know a guy who never ran, and now that he’s sober, he’s run 20 marathons. I know a woman who has organized countless volunteer groups and gone back to school to get her Masters in counseling.
Do What You Love, Drunk or Sober
My honest take-away from this is not whether Russell Brand will make a difference in policy or not; it’s just that people, sober or otherwise, should follow their passion. There are so many benefits to getting sober, but the most fundamental is that you get your life back. You get to try new things, speak out, get educated or possibly educate others.
You also get to binge-watch TV, if you so desire. Thankfully, no one’s going to send you to jail for that one.
Photo courtesy of Brian Solis – www.briansolis.com – bub.blicio.us (Flickr) [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons(resized and cropped)
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