--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We won't dispassionately investigate or…" description: "\"We won't dispassionately investigate or rationally debate which drugs do what damage and whether or how much of that damage is the result of criminaliz..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aab/p-j-o-rourke-184_damage_we-won-t-dispassionately-investigate-or_1436280.jpg" --- # We won't dispassionately investigate or rationally debate… ![“We won't dispassionately investigate or rationally debate which drugs do what damage and whether or how much of that damage is the result of criminalization. We'd rather work ourselves into a screaming fit of puritanism and then go home and take a pill.” quote by P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aab/p-j-o-rourke-184_damage_we-won-t-dispassionately-investigate-or_1436280.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aab/p-j-o-rourke-184_damage_we-won-t-dispassionately-investigate-or_1436280.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aab/p-j-o-rourke-184_damage_we-won-t-dispassionately-investigate-or_1436280.jpg) > “We won't dispassionately investigate or rationally debate which drugs do what damage and whether or how much of that damage is the result of criminalization. We'd rather work ourselves into a screaming fit of puritanism and then go home and take a pill.” [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Critiques the tendency to moralize drug issues rather than analyze them scientifically, leading to hypocrisy and self‑medication. **In simple terms:** People avoid rational debate on drug harms, opting for moral panic and personal drug use. Key Takeaway Question policies, not moral judgments. Themes drug policy public health hypocrisy morality politics Mood frustrated critical reflective Type analytical political When to use this quote - legislative debates - health education campaigns - clinical research - community outreach Key Concepts public health ethics policy analysis behavioral psychology Questions to Reflect On - How can we shift public discourse from moralizing to evidence‑based? - What incentives drive personal drug use despite public condemnation? A Different Perspective Moral arguments often ignore evidence and can worsen outcomes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Criminalization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criminalization-595972/) [Damage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/damage/) [Debate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/debate/) [Debate Drugs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/debate-drugs-5127948/) [Drug](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drug/) [Drugs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drugs/) [Drugs Damage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drugs-damage-4844641/) [Fit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fit/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Libertarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/libertarian/) [Pills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pills/) [Puritanism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/puritanism/) [Result Criminalization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/result-criminalization-5127949/) [Results](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/results/) [Wine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wine/) ## Related quotes > [“She used to smile so much, before the drugs. In the end her eyes were dull and lifeless. She looked about ten years older…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/apryl-baker/she-used-to-smile-so-much-before-the-drugs-in-the-end-her-eyes-were/) [Apryl Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/apryl-baker/) > [“Criminalization is a human rights issue because it disregards the fundamental principles of self-determination, bodily integrity, and sexual freedom.14”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melinda-chateauvert/criminalization-is-a-human-rights-issue-because-it-disregards-the/) [Melinda Chateauvert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melinda-chateauvert/) > [Under the notion that unregulated market-driven values and relations should shape every domain of human life, the business model of governance has eviscerated any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/under-the-notion-that-unregulated-market-driven-values-and-relations/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [We are witnessing the criminalization of conservative politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-delay/we-are-witnessing-the-criminalization-of-conservative-politics/) [Tom DeLay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-delay/) > [The idea that we criminalize fellow human beings based on optics, based on the need to progress in politics and gain power, and for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ava-duvernay/the-idea-that-we-criminalize-fellow-human-beings-based-on-optics/) [Ava DuVernay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ava-duvernay/) > [HIV criminalization is a global trend, but surprisingly Canada has some of the worst HIV laws in the world - they have incarcerated 200…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-schulman/hiv-criminalization-is-a-global-trend-but-surprisingly-canada-has/) [Sarah Schulman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-schulman/) > [I'm a recovering drug addict, so it's not a subject that I take lightly, but I do agree that the criminalization of narcotics is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-brand/i-m-a-recovering-drug-addict-so-it-s-not-a-subject-that-i-take/) [Russell Brand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-brand/) > [Say you're a sex worker and your partner knows you're a sex worker, but you're not out to your family. That could be very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-gira-grant/say-you-re-a-sex-worker-and-your-partner-knows-you-re-a-sex-worker/) [Melissa Gira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-gira-grant/) > [The criminalization of Black life was something specific to the United States in the post-Reconstruction period and there's something like it happening today with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-criminalization-of-black-life-was-something-specific-to-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [In the current situation with criminalization, we've created situations where sex workers have very little power and control over their lives. Increasing one group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-gira-grant/in-the-current-situation-with-criminalization-we-ve-created/) [Melissa Gira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-gira-grant/) > [Wherever black people are in America, criminalization exists. Wherever there is a white-dominant space, deep racism exists as well - no matter how progressive.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrisse-cullors/wherever-black-people-are-in-america-criminalization-exists-wherever/) [Patrisse Cullors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrisse-cullors/) > [The mass criminalization of white men would disturb us to the core.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/the-mass-criminalization-of-white-men-would-disturb-us-to-the-core/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [The phenomenon of HIV criminalization is so much more massive than people understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-strub/the-phenomenon-of-hiv-criminalization-is-so-much-more-massive-than/) [Sean Strub](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-strub/) > [“The criminalization of debt, then, was the criminalization of the very basis of human society. It cannot be overemphasized that in a small community,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-graeber/the-criminalization-of-debt-then-was-the-criminalization-of-the-very/) [David Graeber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-graeber/) > [Any increase in surveillance of marginalized communities for the sake of security theater have expanded the cycle of criminalization that queer people - especially…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-manning/any-increase-in-surveillance-of-marginalized-communities-for-the-sake/) [Chelsea Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-manning/) ## More by P. J. O'Rourke > [I'm fascinated by political enthusiasm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/i-m-fascinated-by-political-enthusiasm/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [In comparative terms, there's no poverty in America by a long shot. Heritage Foundation political scientist Robert Rector has worked up figures showing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/in-comparative-terms-there-s-no-poverty-in-america-by-a-long-shot/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [The Democrats said, "We don't know what's wrong with America, but we can fix it." The Republicans said, "There's nothing wrong with America, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/the-democrats-said-we-don-t-know-what-s-wrong-with-america-but-we-can/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [At Epcot Center the Disney corporation has focused its attention on two things greatly in need of Disneyfication: the tedious future and the annoying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/at-epcot-center-the-disney-corporation-has-focused-its-attention-on/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [So-called Western Civilization, as practised in half of Europe, some of Asia and a few parts of North America, is better than anything else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/so-called-western-civilization-as-practised-in-half-of-europe-some-of/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [My whole family can talk. They are all car salesmen. They are all funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/my-whole-family-can-talk-they-are-all-car-salesmen-they-are-all-funny/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [It was Ronald Reagan who used to say that the 10 most frightening words in the English language are, "I'm from the federal government,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/it-was-ronald-reagan-who-used-to-say-that-the-10-most-frightening/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Gun violence has cost us too many political leaders, and hardly ever the worst ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/gun-violence-has-cost-us-too-many-political-leaders-and-hardly-ever/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Pete Seeger is a modest, unassuming, cheerful, and kind-natured man. He's a good folk singer, if you can stand folk singing. And he's such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/pete-seeger-is-a-modest-unassuming-cheerful-and-kind-natured-man-he-s/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Journalists are notoriously easy to kid. All you have to do is speak to a journalist in a very serious tone of voice, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/journalists-are-notoriously-easy-to-kid-all-you-have-to-do-is-speak/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [I like to think of my behavior in the sixties as a 'learning experience.' Then again, I like to think of anything stupid I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/i-like-to-think-of-my-behavior-in-the-sixties-as-a-learning/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [I'll be 56 this year, I've got two kids, and I think it's probably time to go back to writing one-glove jokes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/i-ll-be-56-this-year-i-ve-got-two-kids-and-i-think-it-s-probably-time/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Something that comes to us, some gym shoe that comes to us as a result of child labor from a brutal dictatorship, where people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/something-that-comes-to-us-some-gym-shoe-that-comes-to-us-as-a-result/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Russians not only vehemently despise blacks, they believe Africa begins at the Ukraine border.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/russians-not-only-vehemently-despise-blacks-they-believe-africa/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Now, do I think the baby boomers tend to be self-absorbed? I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/now-do-i-think-the-baby-boomers-tend-to-be-self-absorbed-i-do/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) [Explore all 983 P. J. O'Rourke quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) ## More Damage quotes > [A poet is wounded into speech, and he examines these wounds, meticulously, to discover how to heal them. The bad poet harangues at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/a-poet-is-wounded-into-speech-and-he-examines-these-wounds/) [Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/) > [I think what bothers us about fighting sports isn't the damage to the athlete but the fact that you win by doing more harm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/i-think-what-bothers-us-about-fighting-sports-isn-t-the-damage-to-the/) [Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/) > [I was told I had brain damage. I always knew it was an unfair label. Now I have a clearer understanding of what's wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-boyle/i-was-told-i-had-brain-damage-i-always-knew-it-was-an-unfair-label/) [Susan Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-boyle/) > [How strange that something so simple could have been instrumental in my decision to ruin one of my most relationships and friendships, and damage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/how-strange-that-something-so-simple-could-have-been-instrumental-in/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [The miracle drugs (neuroleptics) cause the worst plague of brain damage in medical history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-breggin/the-miracle-drugs-neuroleptics-cause-the-worst-plague-of-brain-damage/) [Peter Breggin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-breggin/) > [The socially redeeming aspect of golf lies in the vast number of lawyers and bankers and managers who play it, and when you think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/the-socially-redeeming-aspect-of-golf-lies-in-the-vast-number-of/) [Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/) > [Gun control laws don't work. What is worse, they act perversely. While legitimate users of firearms encounter intense regulation, scrutiny and bureaucratic control, illicit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-d-polsby/gun-control-laws-don-t-work-what-is-worse-they-act-perversely-while/) [Daniel D. Polsby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-d-polsby/) > [The pace of global warming is accelerating and the scale of the impact is devastating. The time for action is limited - we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliot-spitzer/the-pace-of-global-warming-is-accelerating-and-the-scale-of-the/) [Eliot Spitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliot-spitzer/) > [My first job was a film called 'Storm Damage' for the BBC. I was 16 and working with really respected British actors. I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-madekwe/my-first-job-was-a-film-called-storm-damage-for-the-bbc-i-was-16-and/) [Ashley Madekwe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-madekwe/) > [But people only die in proper duels, you know, with real wizards. The most you and Malfoy’ll be able to do is send sparks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-people-only-die-in-proper-duels-you-know-with-real-wizards-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [President Obama has never summarized the Obama Doctrine with such clarity, but here is what it would look like: 'I will undertake any military…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/president-obama-has-never-summarized-the-obama-doctrine-with-such/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [The superpowers often behave like two heavily armed blind men feeling their way around a room, each believing himself in mortal peril from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-superpowers-often-behave-like-two-heavily-armed-blind-men-feeling/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I couldn't stand being identified by my sexuality, I retaliated by insisting that people regard me for my intellectual worth. My intellect became a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leora-tanenbaum/i-couldn-t-stand-being-identified-by-my-sexuality-i-retaliated-by/) [Leora Tanenbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leora-tanenbaum/) > [One simply cannot engage in barbarous action without becoming a barbarian, because one cannot defend human values by calculated and unprovoked violence without doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-william-fulbright/one-simply-cannot-engage-in-barbarous-action-without-becoming-a/) [J. William Fulbright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-william-fulbright/) > [This strongly asserted but ill-defined license to kill without accountability is not an entitlement which the United States or other states can have without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-alston/this-strongly-asserted-but-ill-defined-license-to-kill-without/) [Philip Alston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-alston/) [Browse all 1,271 Damage quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/damage/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We won't dispassionately investigate or rationally debate which drugs do what damage and whether or how much of that damage is the result of criminalization. We'd rather work ourselves into a screaming fit of puritanism and then go home and take a pill.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "P. J. O'Rourke" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/we-won-t-dispassionately-investigate-or-rationally-debate-which-drugs/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Damage" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/we-won-t-dispassionately-investigate-or-rationally-debate-which-drugs/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aab/p-j-o-rourke-184_damage_we-won-t-dispassionately-investigate-or_1436280.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aab/p-j-o-rourke-184_damage_we-won-t-dispassionately-investigate-or_1436280.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aab/p-j-o-rourke-184_damage_we-won-t-dispassionately-investigate-or_1436280.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We won't dispassionately investigate or rationally debate which drugs do what damage and whether or how much…” — P. J. O'Rourke", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "P. J. O'Rourke", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We won't dispassionately investigate or rationally...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/we-won-t-dispassionately-investigate-or-rationally-debate-which-drugs/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/we-won-t-dispassionately-investigate-or-rationally-debate-which-drugs/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```