I do not for a second believe that having a pint is more dangerous than having a smoke of heroin, mainly because of the amount of people I know that have died of or due to the effects of heroin addiction and I know a lot more people that drink than I did people that took heroin.

Howard Marks was involved with cannabis, not heroin, they are quite different.

I was his web developer back in the day. RIP Howard.

Howard Marks was involved with cannabis, not heroin, they are quite different.

Did you read what was quoted?

Finbar, Fly Agaric not ‘magic mushrooms’ but yes.

enfht – Member
Finbar, Fly Agaric not ‘magic mushrooms’ but yes.

No, but yes – brilliant!

^ Yep, apparently the peeled & dried red spotty cap can be dried out and experimented with, from what i read online anyway 😉

Don’t get me started on reindeer, they’re worse than yakuza

Lower score in Scrabble too.

I really enjoyed ‘Mr Nice’.
I also really wish prisoners would go back to weed instead of NPS. 😥

“I do not for a second believe that having a pint is more dangerous than having a smoke of heroin, mainly because of the amount of people I know that have died of or due to the effects of heroin addiction and I know a lot more people that drink than I did people that took heroin.”

Alcohol is by far the biggest killer and socially destructive drug. Heroin is relatively safe in itself, if dosage is carefully controlled, and it’s ‘clean’ ie no nasty impurities. What makes it dangerous, is the fact that it’s illegality means some really nasty impure stuff is sold, cut with some far more physically dangerous substances. If Heroin was used in the way alcohol is, ie clean sources, controlled dosage etc, it would actually be far less harmful. Various studies have shown this.

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/39938704/ns/health-addictions/t/alcohol-more-dangerous-heroin-cocaine-study-finds/#.T1giM3lHM4k?ictd%5Bmaster%5D=vid~4a74d9a4-55d1-48cb-ae46-21acab13baed&ictd%5Bil726%5D=rlt~1460400984~land~2_4755_seo_1f9c6622887b9e999db4a548b140bf40

Alcohol is by far the biggest killer and socially destructive drug. Heroin is relatively safe in itself, if dosage is carefully controlled,

Alcohol is also safe if the dosage is controlled.

Death per user will be faaaar worse for heroin.

Tragic how a HM RIP thread can digress into heroin vs alcohol!

Back on topic, I’m sure Mr Hoffman has a comfy seat prepared for his new pal.

Ignoring the potentially enormous tax revenues from marijuana which in itself created a lucrative black market for trafficking is lunacy.

Was friends with Jake Marcusson as a kid. His dad Alan was Howard’s first business partner. They were a bunch of stoners who got into a bit of buying and selling and through an intro to an Iranian diplomat suddenly got access to eye-wateringly large amounts of dope. Being daring and resourceful (both of which Howard was) they somehow got it into the country through Shannon airport in Limerick. The alleged IRA connection was the crazy Irish guy.who fixed Shannon airport. He probably wasn’t IRA, but who knows. In that part of Ireland sympathies are pretty strong. Marks was more of a smuggler than a dealer. He only dealt in dope and was no more of a rogue than the likes of Walter Raleigh or other historical buccaneers. Whilst he certainly did business with both Pakistanis and Afghans, he certainly didn’t do business with the Taliban as they didn’t exist at the time. Neither did ISIL/ISIS for that matter. The prohibition on Marijuana is as pointless and useless as the prohibition of alcohol in the US was. Howard supplied a need and did it with verve and humour. He was an entrepreneurial legend and his passing is a sad day indeed

Total legend, sorry to see him go

There’s an almost certainly apocryphal story that the ever parochial Yorkshire Post in 1952, upon the death of King George, ran their front page with the headline “Former Duke of York Dead”

Among his many other exploits, Marks in his later years part owned a restaurant in Leeds. I was reminded of the above story when I received my daily email of local business news and learnt of his passing after clicking on Leeds Businessman Dies Following Cancer Diagnosis

“Death per user will be faaaar worse for heroin.”

A lot of this will be down to purity/contamination, unsafe situations/environments, and ignorance. Although Heroin is undoubtedly more dangerous if moderation isn’t applied. But then, Paracetamol kills more people each year than any illegal drug. And Heroin (Diamorphine) is used in hospitals every single day, without any reported crisis or apparent major issue. In a hypothetical situation where alcohol and Heroin are both used with the same degree of quality, moderation and care, alcohol is actually the more destructive substance over time.

“Tragic how a HM RIP thread can digress into heroin vs alcohol!”

I think it’s a good thing that this situation can be used to discuss issues. I’m sure Howard MArks would approve. Substitute Heroin for any other ‘recreational’ drug. The fact is, that drug use is a political issue, and Marks drew attention to this many times. There is no reason other than a political one, why alcohol is tolerated yet Cannabis etc remain illegal.

A lot of this will be down to purity/contamination, unsafe situations/environments, and ignorance.

Indeed we are lucky that we are used to alcohol being ‘safe’ because it IS regulated and controlled by the authorities. If we were buying booze of the same origins as street drugs, with no idea of purity or strength, people would be drinking methanol and all sorts – see the fuss fake vodka causes and what goes into it for example.

Imagine if it were the other way around, if opiates were legal and controlled and people were saying we should legalise booze, people would be using exactly the same arguments – but it’s really dangerous, I’ve seen it kill people, you don’t know how strong/pure it is, I’ve seen it make people blind, etc, etc…

Whilst he certainly did business with both Pakistanis and Afghans, he certainly didn’t do business with the Taliban as they didn’t exist at the time.

Did anyone suggest he did do business with the Taleban?

He shovelled vast amounts of cash in bribes to government officials in Pakistan and Afghanistan which contributed to those states’ failure and a culture of gangsterism, patriarchy and generally uncool behaviour.

Marks’ ‘contribution’ to the failure of those states is utterly insignificant compared to that made by vast global corporations etc. The only difference being, is that what they do is ‘legal’.

Real sorry to hear that Howard Marks has passed away

Loved Mr Nice – a wonderful read by a very funny & witty man – lots of poetic justice – but i don’t care

Gutted never to have seen one of his talks

Read his Last Pill & Testament late last year – another great yarn. Mostly made up i suspect – but good fun all the same

RIP Howard