The taste for these things is acquired, not natural, though the
acquisition may be through hereditary influence. An idea is held by a
majority of even fairly intelligent individuals that there is a
justifiable, harmless, and even beneficial use of these substances by
the general public, though acknowledging that beyond a certain
indefinite line this use becomes an abuse.
I believe that there may occasionally be cases in which the physical
benefits derived from their use outweigh the injury they inflict, but
I think this use is very much less than is generally supposed, and if
we can judge from the preponderance of evil effected by such use,
these substances ought to be considered as the materialized curses of
God rather than as beneficent gifts. The prevalent idea as to the
beneficent nature of these substances I consider to be a delusion that
can only be explained upon the hypothesis that there is a widespread
lack of appreciation of the fact that, though they may have an
immediate pleasant and agreeable effect upon the body, their injurious
effects are cumulative, and are usually ultimate, and so distant as to
be difficult of direct connection with their cause to ordinary
observation. The more moderate the use of these substances, the more
remotely is the effect removed from the cause and more difficult of
detection.
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