"Understand that legal and illegal are political, and often arbitrary, categorizations; use and abuse are medical, or clinical, distinctions"

In this quote, Abbie Hoffman is highlighting the reality that the ideas of "legal" and "unlawful" are not constantly well-defined and objective. Instead, they are typically affected by political programs and can be subject to alter based on societal norms and worths. Furthermore, Hoffman recommends that the terms "utilize" and "abuse" should be seen through a medical or medical lens, instead of an ethical one. This suggests that behaviors and compounds must be evaluated based upon their prospective effect on a person's health and well-being, rather than just being labeled as "good" or "bad" based on societal norms. In general, Hoffman is urging readers to question and critically evaluate the social constructs of legality and morality.