On: To revive Portland, officials seek to ban public d...

[Eumenes]

The source is my personal experience dealing with individuals involved in addiction. No amount of "experts" claiming we need to legalize hardcore drugs is going to change my opinion, thats for sure.

[skyyler → Eumenes]

So you're not even interested in hearing people that actually have done research, you're just going to run with your assumptions?

That's a rather emotional place to make an argument, in my opinion.

[gretch → skyyler]

>you're just going to run with your assumptions?

They're not assumptions if they are his/her lived experiences.

[skyyler → gretch]

They're assumptions based on anecdotes.

[dumpsterdiver → skyyler]

Well, it was an opinion based upon direct observation. To be fair, that’s a foundational aspect of the research you suggested.

[Eumenes → skyyler]

I'll hear the research, but it won't change my mind. I just want them to stop because its killing them. They aren't young. Every time they use is a major rolling of the dice. Many an ER visits have occurred. I don't really care if the drug is legal or not. Same would go with alcohol if that was the poison of choice. And yes, it is an emotional place to make an argument, because its personal, not some stranger you read about on the 4th page of the Tuesday paper OD'ing (which probably isn't even news anymore).

[silent_cal → skyyler]

This is the fallacy of scientism. You don't have to do a peer-reviewed research paper to see the truth. Firsthand observation is still the primary way we know the truth. Research depends on observations, not the other way around.