You are responsible for yourself, and the actions that you choose to execute. It is the responsibility of the individual to flourish as he sees fit in society, so long as his pursuits do not infringe on the rights of others. Inevitably, the pursuits of some may be less then noble, and on the whole detrimental to the pursuer. If one man's healthy pursuit becomes another man's vice, the owner of fault is the later, and the former should not be punished for pursuing his livelihood. This being said, I believe that there is a battle currently underway in our country, pitting those who advocate the pursuit of knowledge against those fearful of its consequences. Research into psychoactive drugs has long been a controversial topic in America. Breakthroughs in psychiatry, neurochemistry, and medications for life crippling diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's have been the result of researching these now illicit drugs, and our initial understanding of how the brain works chemically came from studies on Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD). Other drugs, notably cocaine and heroin have had an extremely negative impact on society when used improperly and irresponsibly. Addiction can be a devastating social ill, breeding poverty and crime, but it is still not fully understood. The government's approach to preventing these problems associated with the negative aspects of drugs has been a blanket ban on any drug not approved to treat a defined medical condition. But the field of medicine is always changing. New medical conditions are being added and old ones are being removed from the category of accepted illnesses frequently. Why then, should the government ban research on materials that have shown great breakthroughs in the past, and still hold great promise for research in the f ...