Thanks for another excellent post. You can add Carl Sagan to your list of frequent marijuana smokers who felt they had to keep it on the down low. To his credit, Nobel winner Cary Mullis openly states in his autobiography that his big idea would never have come to him without the help of hallucinogens (non-toxic, non-addictive substances that can get you more jail time than second-degree murder).

Daily use of alcohol is a non-issue in many Mediterranean countries, as you know. As in Newman's case, it doesn't seem to be much of a health problem because it's done in moderation.

Great article with much food for thought. I was particularly taken by your point that "The prevailing prevention approach is to tell everyone not to do these things".

As a child growing up in the 1980's I vividly remember the "Just Say No" campaign, this over simplistic and inadequate social inoculation strategy didn't work then and it certainly doesn't work now.

Allow me to depart from the high-brow, pretentious, and ego-massaging nature of the "article" and the comments.
You're obviously unacquainted with the history of beer drinking, alcoholism, and life in general.
Please, less scholastic posturing, and more attention to the human condition.
Geez, could you be any more pin headed?

Uh, yeah, Paul drank a little. A lot. A hella lot. I wrote about it here: http://thecartoons.net/2009/03/19/i-only-use-paul-newmans-legendary-sala...