In the news today

[Pandadice]

Marijuana is a gateway drug. Legalize it and you're going to have an epidemic of hardcore drug abuse on your hands. People need to find better ways to stimulate or depress themselves.

lol. even though it's actually never been proven to be a gateway drug... that's literally nothing more than anti-marijuana propaganda. people made it up to keep marijuana banned because it was more of a black persons drug. while alcohol, being a white person drug, was made legal..

[Animeniax]

Oh here we go with the race card. So marijuana is now a "black man's drug?". What a load of bs. And how do you "prove" marijuana is or is not a gateway drug? Do you hold polls and hope for legitimate responses from some wigged out pothead? The only reason people stop at marijuana is because the harder drugs cost too much.

[Mr Squiggles]

The only reason people stop at marijuana is because the harder drugs cost too much.

Or, you know, maybe because most marijuana smokers recognize the much more tangible and severe dangers of the harder drugs and so they choose not to do them. I'm not really sure what exactly makes you think that every pot smoker would take harder stuff if he could afford it.


As for the addiction thing, I'm sure some people do get addicted, but these are the same people incapable of self-control who get themselves addicted to extreme sports/adrenaline, porn, gambling, and videogames. My friend who has access to medical databases told me you need to smoke at least 5grams a day in order to be considered physically addicted to the stuff. I dont know if you guys realize how much that is, but you've got to be pretty god damn hardcore to smoke that much on a daily basis.

heres a pic i found on the webs for comparison

this is 3.5 grams. You need to smoke about 40% more than this every single day in order to be considered addicted

I've yet to meet a single pot-head who smokes that much.

[Dark Dragon]

lol. even though it's actually never been proven to be a gateway drug... that's literally nothing more than anti-marijuana propaganda. people made it up to keep marijuana banned because it was more of a black persons drug. while alcohol, being a white person drug, was made legal..

Yes lets pull race into this because the topic wasn't already controversial enough.

I am personally not for the legalization of marijuana. It's my personal belief that marijuana is not nearly as harmful as many people claim but the last thing we need right now is to add another harmful drug into the long list of addictive substances that are already available.

Deny all you want about marijuana being a gateway drug but the fact of the matter is that many people do not just start smoking stuff crack, quite a significant number of them start out with weed. It's pretty similar to how many people start with light alcohol and eventually move to stronger stuff. That isn't to say that smoking marijuana will automatically incite you to try stronger drugs, but to clearly state that there isn't a relation is also stretching the truth.

I do however believe that we need to decriminalize it, some of the punishment for owning or purchasing marijuana far out weight the "crime" in question.

Edit: I also forgot to mention that certain alcohol like red wine are actually beneficial to your health if it is taken sparingly on a regular basis. I've yet to see any actual positive benefit from getting stoned.

[itadakimasu]

i came home a little bit ago to find my neighbors from downstairs rolling a blunt on the steps leading to my apartment... hopefully he picks up the blunt guts when he's done.

if marijuana were legal, i don't think the gateway drug argument would hold as much water.

if there is better parenting than it will be less of a problem if kids learn about things like moderation.

*just a note, that the people rolling the blunt outside my apartment are black... not that it matters at all. i had a black friend who taught me how to roll blunts and now that I think about it.... that was a long time ago! jesus.... im getting old.*

If marijuana were legal, I would smoke every once in a while, just like how i only drink every once in a while.

[The Heretic Azazel]

Sorry to say Buff, your post is mainly what I talk about when it comes to drug war enthusiasts spreading falsehoods, which isn't surprising since it can be hard to find an unbiased argument on the subject online, at least without some kind of personal agenda. There is some truth, I have smoked almost everyday since I was 18 and it takes a little bit of training to retain my short-term memory, I tend to have to pay more attention to my surroundings than the next guy. On the other hand it really helps me to smoke before a test to alleviate anxiety (I have an awful habit of going blank before I take an exam.)

There is no link whatsoever to cardiovascular problems and respiratory problems are probably equal in tobacco, BUT if you smoke weed out of a vaporizer it filters the tars and toxins and gives you straight THC (which isn't dangerous as opposed to the other possible compounds in your herb) and vaping helps break up the crud in your lungs.

People consider marijuana a gateway drug for a couple of reasons: one is coincidental, there is no cause and effect. There are people who will always grow up to be junkies, and marijuana happens to be the first drug people use (especially when they start young). The other is pot dealers often dabble in other drugs, so if you're going to your man to get some herb and he happens to sell coke on the side, yeah you're going to be exposed to that element of the game. That's all the more reason to legalize, it cuts out a certain portion of the black market and people don't have to be around that sort of thing. The problem is people who don't mind smoking bud but want a different, more sustained high. If you have an addictive personality you're better off not doing anything at all.

Edit: I also forgot to mention that certain alcohol like red wine are actually beneficial to your health if it is taken sparingly on a regular basis. I've yet to see any actual positive benefit from getting stoned.

There's always an exception to the rule, no alcohol except red wine has any useful properties so it's kind of pointless to make that relation. However cannabis is all that will relieve the pain of many terminally ill patients across the country, and the DEA tried to take that away from them too.

And truthfully I too would rather have it decriminalized than legalized. The shit would be too expensive for me.