Drug site crosses morality line

The use of drugs in the United States has been on the rise since the 1960s and the era of free love. Even after the implementation of drug prevention programs like D.A.R.E., drug use among teenagers and adults has not seen the type of decline anti-drug supporters hoped for.

Now, aspiring drug abusers have the a Web site, Erowig.org, which gives surfers recipes, side effects and dosage information to make the most of their illicit high. This Web site is a disgrace to the Internet community and should not be allowed.

According to the CBS News Web site Tuesday, the site’s producers do not promote any type of drug use, stating that, “we are a library” that has “no interest in encouraging anything but learning and care.” While the creators’ intentions may have been based in education, the Web site will do more harm than good, and does nothing to help the prevalence of drug use in the United States.

While other causes have taken precedence in recent years concerning the war on drugs, drug use is still a concern in the United States. While the Internet has expanded the way Americans distribute and obtain information, this latest development of recreational drug Web sites is a drawback to the bonuses of enhanced technology.

Buying illegal drugs is all too easy in today’s word. To give drug users the ability to access recipes for GHB, ways to test ecstasy for purity, as well as insights into other illegal drugs seems the biggest abuse of Internet technology since the advent of pornographic Web sites.

Free speech is a tenet of American freedom, but there has to be a line drawn that determines what is in the best interest of Internet users. While doctors and law enforcement officials use the Web site in order to educate themselves about new drug abuse tactics, the Web site should not be made available to the public. Erowig.org is just a way to encourage drug use and runs the risk of not being sanctioned due to free speech.