Always running Quote by James Purdy
“Margaret Meade is always running around saying that marijuana's just like bread and water! Well, bread and water are poison, and marijuana's a poison. Now, if you like poison, why shouldn't you have it? But don't try to pretend that it's innocuous.”
About This Quote
The speaker equates marijuana with essential sustenance, then argues that if both are poisonous, choosing one is a matter of personal preference, urging honesty about its risks.
In simple terms: Marijuana is compared to poison and framed as a personal choice.
Key Takeaway
Recognize and discuss the real harms rather than normalizing them.
Themes
addiction
personal choice
health
risk perception
Mood
cautious
critical
Type
analytical
controversial
When to use this quote
- public health discussions
- drug policy debates
- personal health decisions
Key Concepts
substance use
ethical debate
personal autonomy
Questions to Reflect On
- What evidence supports or refutes the claim that marijuana is a poison?
- How does framing affect public perception of drug safety?
A Different Perspective
The analogy oversimplifies complex health and social impacts of drug use.
![“If the layman cannot participate in decision making, he will have to turn himself over, essentially blind, to a hermetic elite. ... [The fundamental question becomes] are we still capable of self-government and therefore freedom? Margaret Mead wrote in a 1959 issue of Daedalus about scientists…” quote by Gerald Holton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/368/gerald-holton-46138_benevolent_if-the-layman-cannot-participate-in-deci_1394613.jpg)
