“The choice is not between drugs and no drugs, but between illegal drugs and legal drugs. Until the 1920s drugs were legal, why not now? Lots of people are on drugs anyway — it is called medication.”

—  David Hockney

Interview with Jasper Gerard, "Taking the fight to the dreary people," The Sunday Times (London) (2 October 2005)
2000s

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "The choice is not between drugs and no drugs, but between illegal drugs and legal drugs. Until the 1920s drugs were leg…" by David Hockney?
David Hockney photo
David Hockney 27
British artist 1937

Related quotes

Milton Friedman photo

“I’m in favor of legalizing drugs. According to my values system, if people want to kill themselves, they have every right to do so. Most of the harm that comes from drugs is because they are illegal.”

Milton Friedman (1912–2006) American economist, statistician, and writer

As quoted in ‪If Ignorance Is Bliss, Why Aren't There More Happy People? (2009) ‬by John Mitchinson, p. 87

Jerzy Vetulani photo

“"Designer drugs" are a word bag, just like "drugs", by the way. But after the word "drugs" is the word: "illegal". And after the "designer drugs" there is something much worse: lack of knowledge.”

Jerzy Vetulani (1936–2017) Polish scientist

Vetulani, Jerzy (18 October 2010): Nawet czarownice wiedziały, co sprzedają https://dziennikpolski24.pl/nawet-czarownice-wiedzialy-co-sprzedaja/ar/2867902, interview. Dziennik Polski (in Polish).

Leonardo DiCaprio photo

“Drugs? Every one has a choice and I choose not to do drugs.”

Leonardo DiCaprio (1974) American actor and film producer

http://www.popmonk.com/actors/leonardo-dicaprio/quotes-leonardo-dicaprio.htm

James P. Gray photo

“The effect of our drug policy on the health of people who use illicit drugs stem from four basic problems: (1) a lack of information about medial hygiene, because our laws push drug users away from the medical professionals who can help them; (2) no quality control regarding either the strength or purity of illicit drugs; (3) the inability of many drug users to prepare and use injectable drugs under more medically hygienic conditions;… and (4) the enormous pressure on drug addicts to engage in dangerous criminal activity, such as prostitution, burglary and drug dealing, in order to get the money to purchase these artificially expensive drugs.”

James P. Gray (1945) American judge

Source: Why Our Drug Laws Have Failed and What We Can Do About It: A Judicial Indictment of the War on Drugs, 2011, pp. 126-127

River Phoenix photo

“I'm on the drug
I'm on the drug
I'm on the drug that killed River Phoenix”

River Phoenix (1970–1993) American actor, musician, and activist

He'll Never Be An Ol' Man River by TISM

Pat Condell photo

“What is the difference between a Doctor of Medicine and a Doctor of Theology? One prescribes drugs, while the other might as well be on drugs.”

Pat Condell (1949) Stand-up comedian, writer, and Internet personality

"God bless atheism" (3 August 2007) http://youtube.com/watch?v=y4mWiqkGy-Y
2007

“The War on Drugs is over. Drugs won.”

L. Neil Smith (1946) American writer

"The Brontosaurus in the Broom Closet".
Context: The War on Drugs is over. Drugs won. It's time to stop wasting money, destroying lives, grinding up the Bill of Rights, and giving greater and greater power to the jackbooted thugs, in an unnecessary and futile attempt to enforce one group's ideas about what chemicals and vegetables some other group ought to manufacture, cultivate, distribute, purchase, possess, and consume. Repeal the drug laws, and prices will drop a thousandfold, driving most participants out of the business.

Doug Stanhope photo

“There's only two types of people who are against drugs: the people who have never done drugs and the people who really sucked at doing drugs.”

Doug Stanhope (1967) American stand-up comedian, actor, and author

Deadbeat Hero (2004)

James P. Gray photo

“The drug prohibitionists must have marijuana illegal, because without that, the raw numbers of the users of all other illegal drugs combined do not come even close to justifying the prison/industrial complex that has been spawned to "combat" this drug menace.”

James P. Gray (1945) American judge

“Transcript of Judge James P. Gray's Visit to the Drug Policy Forum,” The New York Times, (June 14, 2001)

Salvador Dalí photo

“I don't do drugs. I'm drugs.”

Salvador Dalí (1904–1989) Spanish artist

In an interview conducted by Paloma Chamorro in Madrid (Spain), 1982; as cited in Salvador Dalí: a la conquista de lo irracional, Javier Pérez Andújar (2003) p. 245
Quotes of Salvador Dali, 1981 - 1989
Variant: I don't do drugs. I'm drugs.

Related topics