it's only a "gateway" drug because it's illegal and exists on the black market. 95% of the people i've ever bought pot from dealt with more illegal drugs than just pot or knew how to get a hold of just about any drug i could think to do. amsterdam's tolerance policy has done a good job of keeping soft drug users away from hard drug users and has had no rise in rates of heroin use in the last 30 years. whereas the US has seen something like a 300% increase.

as far as teen usage is concerned. i'd rather see a increase in marijuana usage and a decrease in alcohol consumption. as a mom, and one that's been around the block a few times mind you, i'd much rather deal with a stoned teenage daughter than a drunk one. i certainly don't want my kids to turn into lazy bum pot heads who don't do anything, but i don't blame peoples laziness on their pot usage.

They always seem to forget that u dont have to smoke weed in order to enjoy its effects. so that renders all the anti smoke arguments and smoke related helth concerns moot.

the central piont shold be the fact that as it stands Smoking and using pot is only more dangrouse than alchole because you have the risk of going to jail and have to obtain it iligaly.

by making the drug legal you make amerca or the country that ligalizes it a safer better of place.


alchole kills people that are not taking it more so than pot dose , for me this is a bigger issue than the posable helth implicatoins for the indavidual taking it. the amount of traffic deths from alchole is rediculouse and fights and street voilence.

compared to pot where people are actualy more likely to drive safer , and be more agrrable and pacive when under the infulence.

Still serouse issues with people taking pot and as a result bing lasy and not productive , but the same allso accours for people that abuse alchole.

ultimetly under safe moderate useage pot is a far safer drug for the indavidual and the socity around that indavidual.

But hay if pot was legel people would just grow it in there rooms and who can make money out of that ?

The whole "gateway" argument is manufactured. If someone uses cocaine/heroin/meth then anything used before those could be called a gateway drug. If pot is a gateway drug then so is caffeine.

Still, I would recommend against driving while high.

As far as people growing rather than buying, it wouldn't be universal. People are already free to grow their own food and cook at home, but there's still a market for those who prefer convenience over cost.

The standard cry against it: "But the children!", gateway drug, and the slippery slope of suddenly legalizing all drugs.

The first and last are extremely silly and I have no desire to address them.

I think that marijuana is a gateway drug, but not in the standard definition. Peggedbea bring up a good point of people being exposed to other illegal substances. I also think another thing is the bullshit realization factor. People are told about all the evils of pot, etc, etc. And yet once they have tried it, the majority of people realize that the propaganda was just... propaganda. "What other bs has been spread out about other drugs?" It's too bad that some anti-drug groups have used falsehoods in trying to promote their side - which in my view is horrific; there are valid health issues that should be addressed, but they destroy their trustworthiness by using lies. I was listening to a person speaking at HempFest who was cautioning the pro-marijuana groups to make sure the acknowledge the health risks while promoting their side. What side am I on? I'm on the side of truthful information about the benefits and risks. Give people good information and let them make their choices.

"We can't poison you fair and square!"

This is silly; the anti-pot argument should be lobbying for the prohibition of alcohol if he was consistent with his main "point".