To demand that a person pee in a cup whenever you wish him to, without a documented reason to suspect that he has been using an illegal drug, is intolerable in our republic. You are saying to him, "I wonder if you are not behaving in a way that I approve of. Convince me that you indeed are. Outrageous. Intolerable.
Interpretation
Forcing someone to prove their innocence is unjust and undermines individual rights.
This quote by Alexander Shulgin asserts that demanding a person to take a drug test without a valid reason reflects a distrust in their character and infringes upon personal freedoms. It critiques the broader implications of such demands in a democratic society, where respect for individual rights and dignity should be paramount.
In practice
During a seminar on individual rights, this quote can be used to illustrate the importance of personal freedoms.
How long will this last, this delicious feeling of being alive, of having penetrated the veil which hides beauty and the wonders of celestial vistas? It doesn't matter, as there can be nothing but gratitude for even a glimpse of what exists for those who can become open to it.
How he could be a good user of LSD," I asked, "And know about the spiritual dimension - all that sort of thing - and still be a crook? I don't understand." "Then it's time you did. Psychedelic drugs don't change you - they don't change you character - unless you want to be changed. They enable change; they can't impose it.
States are not moral agents, people are, and can impose moral standards on powerful institutions.
Forget about your life situation and pay attention to your life. Your life situation exists in time. Your life is now. Your life situation is mind-stuff. Your life is real." "Instead of asking 'what do I want from life?,' a more powerful question is, 'what does life want from me?'
No one would think he'd make such a beautiful corpse.
People are more complicated than the masks they wear in society.
There is nothing in the dark that isn't there when the lights are on.
Propaganda does not deceive people; it merely helps them to deceive themselves.
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