Weed as a Gateway Drug?

[Paradox]

Ayuh, Puma. Also:



and...

[Shellhead]

It hasn't been mentioned yet, unless I missed it, but one of the reasons marijuana is a "gateway" (nonsense, of course) to other illegal drugs is that it itself is illegal, and introduces people to a wider illicit drug scene. It would not at all lead to coke or harder things if it were sold in the stores. It, in and of itself, had no "gateway" properties.

Well said. Most of my friends have tried marijuana, but more than half of them never tried anything more serious. And even the ones who tried more serious drugs (mostly LSD or coke) didn't get addicted to anything.

Back in the late '90s, I was in a relationship with a woman who kept getting addicted to drugs. Before I knew her, it was coke. After I got involved with her, she started smoking meth. After we broke up, she got involved with a heroin dealer, and they both ended up using until they got addicted. Finally she was on methadone, and last time I ran into her, she seemed to be clean at last. Her dad was a Vietnam vet who smoked pot at home and encouraged her to try it when she was in her teens. So she considered marijuana to be her gateway drug.

Outside of college, getting access to any drugs besides marijuana isn't a casual thing. Most of my friends wouldn't have a clue about how to do it. But my ex ran in different circles, and it often seemed like the majority of her friends were criminals and/or addicts. The challenge for her wasn't obtaining drugs, it was avoiding drugs when she wanted to stay clean.

Two of my friends who smoked a lot of pot when they were young had that permanently melted sounding voice by the time they were in their 20s. Not if it's voluntary or not, and these two guys don't know each other, so it's not like they are influencing one another. Anyway, I think it might not be safe for teenagers or kids to smoke much pot while their minds are still developing. If there is eventually some sort of legalization, I hope that it's handled like alcohol and tobacco and restricted to adults.

[MartinNL]

Just legalize all drugs. When it's decriminalized the government can control the 'quality' and can tax the drugs produced and sold. Educate youngsters about drugs and what it can do to you and the people around you. Also when drugs is legal it's not as thrilling anymore to use it, now is it?

[Paradox]

Nonsense, of course. Many other street drugs are demonstrably VERY harmful and dangerous, unlike pot, and need to be restricted.

[Charles RB]

Ayuh, Puma. Also:



and...

Was there anyone in the 70s who wasn't taking pot?

[The Black Guardian]

Heck, the late-70s, period, was enough to gateway everyone from 12 to 40. 6th grade air smelled like Elmer's Glue and cinnamon. 7th grade, Day One, homeroom had a funky smell.

But of course, the gateway doesn't work like that. Most people that partake are simply going to get bored with it and settle for real life, instead.

[Paradox]

Charles RB takes me back:

Was there anyone in the 70s who wasn't taking pot?

In my high school, I only knew of one person, our hard-ass Asst. Principal's daughter, who wanted to, but didn't dare. Several off my athletic friends wouldn't smoke it, but had no problem with eating it. Hell, we "knew" several of our teachers did. It was a...weird time. Post-Vietnam and the radical '60s rebellions but pre- "Just Say NO!" and pre-AIDS. Sex and drugs and rock and roll, baby!

[weeks]

Ive smoked pot nearly everyday for the last ten years and have never tried another drug, have a good, steady job and am about to buy a house. Hows that for some anecdotal evidence?

[MartinNL]

Nonsense, of course. Many other street drugs are demonstrably VERY harmful and dangerous, unlike pot, and need to be restricted.

Is it really that nonsensical? I mean who are you or any government to decide how safe we have to live our lives? Everyone knows overuse of drugs and alcohol are harmful, as is eating too much sugar, or almost anything excessively. People will always find a way to use what they want to use. You and I may not like it, but that's just the way it is.

I always try to take a more economical approach to the whole drugs issue. We all know drug addiction leads to a lot of costs for society. Health costs, imprisonment costs, not to mention this silly and idealistic "War on Drugs" that won't ever be won. When government taxes all drugs that will lead to quite some income, that can cover all the costs mentioned before, not to mention the many many millions that can now be saved on the "war".

[Charles RB]

In my high school, I only knew of one person, our hard-ass Asst. Principal's daughter, who wanted to, but didn't dare

Of course not. It's rude to steal from your dad's stash.

[bipolar danger girl]

I disagree in regards to the legalization of prostitution and medical marijuana (which I think is a crock of crap). They could just confiscate the money made by those illegal activities and put that money towards all government funded programs.

Speaking of legalizing weed, I was flipping the TV a couple of nights ago and I came across a night time talk show on BET where they discuss the latest political topics (I forgot the name of the show). One of the topics was the recent vote in both Colorado and Washington for both medical and recreational use. What pissed me off about this debate (and the show in general) is that it was clearly and unfairly slanted towards the liberal side in favor of the legalization of weed. The host of the show,the Hip Hop commentator,most of the panelist (except for one),and the audience seemed to all be in favor of legalizing weed. What was even sadder, was that 2 panelist reason for wanting to legalize weed (and the audience applauded and agreed with them) was because it would cut down on black and Latinos being arrested for drug possession. This is reason smacks of the same asinine reason that some give in favor of Ebonics. They are trying to say that instead of trying to encourage people to not smoke (or possess) weed or punish them for doing so, they should just let them off of the hook. To which I say is a load of crap. We (black and Latino people) are not genetically predisposed to smoking and selling weed. We are human being who have a choice to either use/sell it or not to use/sell it. We have the same moral and intellectual capacity as white people. Here's a thought, instead of trying to decriminalize a harmful drug in order to keep black and Latino people out of jail, why not try to push to have more white people get arrested for selling and using weed. Hell, the reason why black and Latino are more likely to get arrested for possessing weed then white people is because those of us who use and sell weed do so in the open (and often, without shame) instead of doing it behind close doors in their homes like most white people do. Sorry for the rant, but this kind of far left liberal crap really gets under my skin.

What? Have you been watching "Weeds", because I'm pretty sure that's not the real world. In Canada it's cold, so we all pretty much sell/buy our drugs inside. Black, brown, white, and rainbow people all smoking and selling weed together inside, where there's less chance at being caught. Also, why do you care if someone buys or sells weed? Does the smell offend you? Do lazy people laughing at the TV ordering shitty pizza offend you? I used to smoke a lot of weed, and I'm pretty sure it never hurt anyone. I don't smoke weed anymore because I don't want to die of lung cancer, but it sure would be nice if I could occasionally walk to the weed store and buy a weed muffin. You cannot overdose on weed, you won't rob a store for weed, you won't get violent from smoking weed, and you'll be too fucking lazy to get high and drive. Where's the fucking harm in letting other people smoke weed? It's not like we're going to hold you down and make you take a toke? Although, it might make you fucking relax a little, so I'd be tempted.

[Jabare]

Weed isn't a gateway drug unless you consider alcohol and cigarettes gateway drugs.

Weeds safer than alcohol, by a large margin. No ones ever died from it directly, you can't OD on it. And it does have some medicinal ad therapeuticl purposes. Overall the war on drugs in regard to pot has been a complete failure.

If your not criminalizing alcohol and nicotine than criminalizing weed is laughable, its not even on the same level as the other two. I wouldn't have a problem with much stronger regulation of alcohol and banning ciggs but it won't happen. There are too many lobbyists with too much money involved.

People view this as a matter of human liberty, just as deciding what you can eat and who you can love and marry. For a natural substance that you can grow and isn't concocted like other drugs. It's relatively safe providing medicinal benefits. The argument against it is really weak. Yes if you go crazy and get high everyday, you'll probably have some short term memory loss, but nothing catastrophic and ultimately that is on you.

but back to the title of the OP no its not a gateway drug and should be legalized and regulated on the federal level as well as the state level.

[Paradox]

MartinNL pontificates:

Is it really that nonsensical?

Yup.

I mean who are you or any government to decide how safe we have to live our lives?

Same as any government anywhere. It's one of the functions.

Everyone knows overuse of drugs and alcohol are harmful, as is eating too much sugar, or almost anything excessively.

There are many many drugs that "use" equals "overuse". They simply can't (OK, it's very rare) be used casually. Starting with most of the opiates, cocaine and derivatives, methamphetamine, and on down a line. Sugar? Don't make me laugh.

People will always find a way to use what they want to use. You and I may not like it, but that's just the way it is.

Yes, they will. But some can be curtailed. The comparison's simply not there. No one goes home after a hard day's work and relaxes with heroin, at least not without it leading to a bunch of consequences and repercussions.

I always try to take a more economical approach to the whole drugs issue. We all know drug addiction leads to a lot of costs for society. Health costs, imprisonment costs, not to mention this silly and idealistic "War on Drugs" that won't ever be won. When government taxes all drugs that will lead to quite some income, that can cover all the costs mentioned before, not to mention the many many millions that can now be saved on the "war".

It wouldn't work. Not everything. Too many people would simply be destroyed by their own ignorance and lack of impulse control.

[Paradox]

bipolar danger girl preaches the word:

What? Have you been watching "Weeds", because I'm pretty sure that's not the real world. In Canada it's cold, so we all pretty much sell/buy our drugs inside. Black, brown, white, and rainbow people all smoking and selling weed together inside, where there's less chance at being caught. Also, why do you care if someone buys or sells weed? Does the smell offend you? Do lazy people laughing at the TV ordering shitty pizza offend you? I used to smoke a lot of weed, and I'm pretty sure it never hurt anyone. I don't smoke weed anymore because I don't want to die of lung cancer, but it sure would be nice if I could occasionally walk to the weed store and buy a weed muffin. You cannot overdose on weed, you won't rob a store for weed, you won't get violent from smoking weed, and you'll be too fucking lazy to get high and drive. Where's the fucking harm in letting other people smoke weed? It's not like we're going to hold you down and make you take a toke? Although, it might make you fucking relax a little, so I'd be tempted.

[Dizzy D]

Relevant bit on cannabis being a gateway drug from a wonderful book I'm currently reading: Iain Banks "Raw Spirit" :

When I first started smoking the occassional joint it was always resin crumbled into tobacco - I don't think I saw grass for about ten years after my first J - and later, especially during what you might call binge smoking sessions when my palls and I were arguably too wrecked to roll another number or load just one more bong, it was just sociable as well as a hell of a lot easier to have a straight , smoke an ordianry cigarette. So as a result, I have a sort of sporadic, part-time addiction and have decided that yes, that old piece of poisonous propaganda my generation were peddled is actually true, cannabis does lead you on to stronger and much, much more lethal drugs. Well, one, anyway; specifically to tobacco, if that's what you mix it with. Ah, the joys of cretinous prohibition.