Is weed really a gateway drug?

[runnernda]

I think it varies from person to person. If weed gets you into harder drugs, you're probably predisposed to going toward them anyway. I've used weed and I'd do it again, and I have no desire to try any other drugs (unless we're counting alcohol, caffeine and Fun Dip as drugs). Cocaine, meth, heroin, etc just don't appeal to me. I don't think it's a valid argument against the legalization, personally.

 

[Oinodaemon]

so this is an argument I hear for against the legalisation

now to be this doesnt make all that much sense...ok Ive never done it so I really wouldnt know but..

I mean how would it be a gateway drug anymore than alchohol? to me its ALCHOHOL that seems to be the gateway drug I mean once you start getting into drinking...then it seems logical to experiement with weed as well

is it because its illigal? I mean it has that attraction of being "forbidden" and then once you try that you go for other more hardcore drugs because they promise somthing even more hardcore?

I honestly dont know

The reason marijuana is a gate way drug has everything to do with the way authorities treat it. Think about any drug lecture you had in elementary, junior, or high school. What did they talk about the most? The way i remember, they spent 40 minutes talking about weed, and about 20 minutes going over ALL the other drugs. Pot is almost inevitably going to be the first drug tried, due to it being inexpensive and easy to get a hold of....Ok, so if you've had someone telling you something is so terrible your whole life, and you try it, and nothing bad happens, how do you feel then? Hmmm, this wasnt so bad...they were wrong, it didnt ruin my life...

;summing up; people treat marijuana like it's the worst drug, or at least really bad. If you go to six flags, and get on the Extreme first (arguably the most hardcore ride there) then all the other rides seem like childs play, or at least not so bad by comparison. The way cops and other ppl treat marijuana has the same effect on our psyche.

*basically the same thing varanimus said, but in a different context.

 

[kortin]

NO NO NO NO NO NO

I know several people who smoked weed and never did anything else, myself being one of them.

I also know people who went straight to crystal meth.

Weed isnt even a drug

Uh technically weed is a drug. Its pretty much undeniable

OT: Really, it does seem like it could make people want to try harder and harder stuff, but as someone pointed out, it may just be the suppliers egging you on

oh really.

drug
1    /drʌg/ Show Spelled [druhg] Show IPA noun, verb, drugged, drug·ging.
?noun
1.
Pharmacology . a chemical substance used in the treatment, cure, prevention, or diagnosis of disease or used to otherwise enhance physical or mental well-being.
2.
(in federal law)
a.
any substance recognized in the official pharmacopoeia or formulary of the nation.
b.
any substance intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease in humans or other animals.
c.
any article, other than food, intended to affect the structure or any function of the body of humans or other animals.
d.
any substance intended for use as a component of such a drug, but not a device or a part of a device.

No mention of plantlife here.

"A drug, broadly speaking, is any substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function."

"Some effects may include a general alteration of conscious percerption, euphoria, feelings of well-being, relaxation or stress reduction, increased appreciation of humor, music or the arts, joviality, metacognition and introspection, enhanced recollection (episodic memory), increased sensuality, increased awareness of sensation, increased libido,[25] creative, abstract or philosophical thinking, disruption of linear memory and paranoia or anxiety. Anxiety is the most commonly reported side effect of smoking marijuana. Between 20 and 30 percent of recreational users have experienced anxiety and/or panic attacks after smoking marijuana."

Sounds to me like its altering normal bodily functions.


I think so. Its illegal, your dealer is gonna be like "hey, you like this stuff, wait till you try *insert other illegal drug here*".

Also, I am strongly against legalization because I was told, as a kid, that pot did bad stuff to your head. Frankly, I think i have to agree with that.

 

[kortin]

edit: Double post, sorry.

 

[Frozen Donkey Wheel2]

No. I know plenty of people who smoke weed who have no intention of "graduating" to harder stuff.

 

[Crazy_Dude]

The whole weed is a gateway argument doesnt have to do much with Weed as a drug.

Its because in every country Weed is illegal. So you have to get your pot through drugs dealers and these dealers usually have more up their sleeve then just pot. So after you bought pot a few times the dealer could suggest you should try "Insert random hard drug" and say its just like weed man but in reality its not.

Thank god I live in Holland. We have our Coffeeshops here so I dont have to deal with some drug dealer in a dark alley if I just want to get some pot.

 

[Frozen Donkey Wheel2]

NO NO NO NO NO NO

I know several people who smoked weed and never did anything else, myself being one of them.

I also know people who went straight to crystal meth.

Weed isnt even a drug

Uh technically weed is a drug. Its pretty much undeniable

OT: Really, it does seem like it could make people want to try harder and harder stuff, but as someone pointed out, it may just be the suppliers egging you on

oh really.

drug
1    /drʌg/ Show Spelled [druhg] Show IPA noun, verb, drugged, drug·ging.
?noun
1.
Pharmacology . a chemical substance used in the treatment, cure, prevention, or diagnosis of disease or used to otherwise enhance physical or mental well-being.
2.
(in federal law)
a.
any substance recognized in the official pharmacopoeia or formulary of the nation.
b.
any substance intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease in humans or other animals.
c.
any article, other than food, intended to affect the structure or any function of the body of humans or other animals.
d.
any substance intended for use as a component of such a drug, but not a device or a part of a device.

No mention of plantlife here.

Uh...Yeah, no. Nice try, thanks for playing.

Right up there in the bold text. ANY article. Not "any article EXCEPT plant life", just "any article". In case I'm being too subtle here, that implies that plant life is included in the definition.

I mean, I don't think it's a gateway drug either, but it's still a drug. Not a particularly harmful one, but again, still a drug.

 

[Zykon TheLich]

P

 

[Wolfram23]

Everything's a gateway to something else. But for most people that doesn't mean trying weed will lead to harder drugs, but it might open their mind to it. I've done weed a lot, shrooms twice, and extasy once. They were all pretty fun times but the only one I'd ever care to do again is weed. I haven't smoked in a loooong time though.

Better watch out though, driving is a gateway experience to speeding!!!

 

[Chased]

It can be. Some people encounter "chasing the dragon" where they continually do that drug excessively or find other substances in order to reach that first high they had. The reason that first high feeling decreases is because their bodies begin to develop a tolerance to the substance.

 

[Skeleton Jelly]

The gateway theory is so retarded, I don't know why people even take it seriously.

There is nothing in marijuana that provokes people into doing harder drugs. NOTHING.
Now there are people that do meth that first did marijuana. Sure, but who's (dumb) decision was it to do meth? THE PERSON.

It's entiiiirely dependent on the person doing the drugs. They were most likely ill informed or thought they were above getting addicted. They thought experimenting with a life destroyer would be an okay idea.

BLAME DUMB PEOPLE, NOT WEED.

Almost every smoker (weed smoker) I know, does not want to touch shit like heroine, cocaine and wouldn't touch meth with a 15 meter long stick.

 

[Forum_Name]

The gateway drug argument is really just a false correlation = cause argument.

 

[Do4600]

With weed, yes, its I find the illegality of the substance to be a major reason for it being a gateway drug. In order to experiment with the seemingly innocuous marijuana plant, you must first get over your qualms of breaking the law for a substance and take the step to find people who would solicit, learning the way in which these purchases are conducted.
With these two hurdles already excused in the minds of the weed consumer, the only thing standing between them and more dangerous substances is the concern over the damage they can do to oneself.

That does kinda make sense

so wouldn't that really be an argument to legalise it?

One more at the end of a long list of reasons. My favorite reason currently is that if you legalized it(in the U.S.) it would almost certainly end the war in Mexico and bankrupt organized crime all over the U.S. as well as give us a new taxible substance and a new opportunity for a grassroots industry that would provide jobs and income that couldn't be easily or legally outsourced(considering the current legal status is other countries). Imagine an industry as big as cigarette companies but wholly American, non-addictive, with exponentially fewer health risks and nine steps ahead of any other endeavor of it's kind. If the U.S. legalized it, it would put pressure on the EU and many other countries, but if we did it quickly our industry would be miles ahead of competitors and if they did succumb to the pressure they would begin by importing U.S. products and increasing brand trust all over the world before anybody else had a chance to start.

 

[lcyw20]

I type as a pharmacist in training. Weed or any other substance may give you euphoria, or "high", as it were. It is only temporary, mind, and you will need more and more, eventually you will need it just to keep from the emotional lows, and your problems still don't go away. So, yes, you can use it to forget about your problems--for a short while, but prolonged use can be more trouble than its worth in benefits. With weed, there are people who have ended up so reliant on it, they can't be bothered with other things in daily life; others now have permanent psychiatric damage because of the habit--hallucinations, imaginary voices in their heads, delusions, and no medicine can cure them yet.

I think cannabis has its uses, but it's not the best thing to get away from your problems for a while. The whole point of getting away from something is for you to take a break, catch your breath, so that you are more ready to face your problems. Addictive substances like cannabis can distract you from that. Would a game of football (soccer to you who are Americans), basketball, badminton, etc. be nicer? You actually feel refreshed afterwards. Maybe go travelling? Take some time off work? Go for a walk? I would go try these first before seeking medical options.

 

[Skeleton Jelly]

I type as a pharmacist in training. Weed or any other substance may give you euphoria, or "high", as it were. It is only temporary, mind, and you will need more and more, eventually you will need it just to keep from the emotional lows, and your problems still don't go away. So, yes, you can use it to forget about your problems--for a short while, but prolonged use can be more trouble than its worth in benefits. With weed, there are people who have ended up so reliant on it, they can't be bothered with other things in daily life; others now have permanent psychiatric damage because of the habit--hallucinations, imaginary voices in their heads, delusions, and no medicine can cure them yet.

I think cannabis has its uses, but it's not the best thing to get away from your problems for a while. The whole point of getting away from something is for you to take a break, catch your breath, so that you are more ready to face your problems. Addictive substances like cannabis can distract you from that. Would a game of football (soccer to you who are Americans), basketball, badminton, etc. be nicer? You actually feel refreshed afterwards. Maybe go travelling? Take some time off work? Go for a walk? I would go try these first before seeking medical options.

Who says all smokers use it as a crutch? Using anything as a crutch is bad, but none of the weed smokers I know use it as a crutch and neither do I. Don't generalize.

 

[Do4600]

I type as a pharmacist in training. Weed or any other substance may give you euphoria, or "high", as it were. It is only temporary, mind, and you will need more and more, eventually you will need it just to keep from the emotional lows, and your problems still don't go away. So, yes, you can use it to forget about your problems--for a short while, but prolonged use can be more trouble than its worth in benefits. With weed, there are people who have ended up so reliant on it, they can't be bothered with other things in daily life; others now have permanent psychiatric damage because of the habit--hallucinations, imaginary voices in their heads, delusions, and no medicine can cure them yet.

I think cannabis has its uses, but it's not the best thing to get away from your problems for a while. The whole point of getting away from something is for you to take a break, catch your breath, so that you are more ready to face your problems. Addictive substances like cannabis can distract you from that. Would a game of football (soccer to you who are Americans), basketball, badminton, etc. be nicer? You actually feel refreshed afterwards. Maybe go travelling? Take some time off work? Go for a walk? I would go try these first before seeking medical options.

The same could be said of alcohol, is it a gateway drug?

 

[TehCookie]

It's a gateway all right. A gateway to...

If anything its a gateway away from violence. Try getting violent when your high on weed. Trust me it's incredidly hard to get violent when you feel extremely chillaxed and you can't stop laughing at random shit.

Gateway drug, i'd say only in the way that it's illegal like other drugs.

But to be honest doing weed all the time just makes you lazy and tired when your not high. Smoke it when you don't have work the next day or if your at a music festival or something, not every night. trust me i've been there.

Weed affects people differently. I get violent when I smoked weed, it was not fun and I will never do it again. Don't think just because it affects you one way everyone else is affected in the same way.

 

[The_Blue_Rider]

NO NO NO NO NO NO

I know several people who smoked weed and never did anything else, myself being one of them.

I also know people who went straight to crystal meth.

Weed isnt even a drug

Uh technically weed is a drug. Its pretty much undeniable

OT: Really, it does seem like it could make people want to try harder and harder stuff, but as someone pointed out, it may just be the suppliers egging you on

oh really.

drug
1    /drʌg/ Show Spelled [druhg] Show IPA noun, verb, drugged, drug·ging.
?noun
1.
Pharmacology . a chemical substance used in the treatment, cure, prevention, or diagnosis of disease or used to otherwise enhance physical or mental well-being.
2.
(in federal law)
a.
any substance recognized in the official pharmacopoeia or formulary of the nation.
b.
any substance intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease in humans or other animals.
c.
any article, other than food, intended to affect the structure or any function of the body of humans or other animals.
d.
any substance intended for use as a component of such a drug, but not a device or a part of a device.

No mention of plantlife here.

"A drug, broadly speaking, is any substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function."

"Some effects may include a general alteration of conscious percerption, euphoria, feelings of well-being, relaxation or stress reduction, increased appreciation of humor, music or the arts, joviality, metacognition and introspection, enhanced recollection (episodic memory), increased sensuality, increased awareness of sensation, increased libido,[25] creative, abstract or philosophical thinking, disruption of linear memory and paranoia or anxiety. Anxiety is the most commonly reported side effect of smoking marijuana. Between 20 and 30 percent of recreational users have experienced anxiety and/or panic attacks after smoking marijuana."

Sounds to me like its altering normal bodily functions.


I think so. Its illegal, your dealer is gonna be like "hey, you like this stuff, wait till you try *insert other illegal drug here*".

Also, I am strongly against legalization because I was told, as a kid, that pot did bad stuff to your head. Frankly, I think i have to agree with that.

Im tired, so im just gonna use this guys answer to my previous statement

 

[Frozen Donkey Wheel2]

Well if you're going to argue semantics, you must accept that marijuana was intended to exist, for the sole purpose of drug use.

Note that the rule you are quoting, say INTENDED to affect the structure or any function, etc..

Well...Yeah. I mean, what else do people use it for?

 

[Maphysto]

Everyone I know who's done harder drugs has started with weed. It had nothing to do with it being illegal, they just wanted to try harder and harder drugs.

Yep, and every alcoholic once had a beer. Should we ban beer?

Technically, if we go by certain precedents of the illegality of products with Cannabinoids, like Marijuana, we should by all means go after Alcohol, and while we're at it, cigarettes. If Marijuana was legalized, there wouldn't really be any link from it to drugs that can kill. You can't overdose on Marijuana, but you can on Nicotine and Alcohol. Legislators make the arguments that Marijuana impairs motor skills and judgment, but Alcohol is far more serious in those regards. The gateway drug thing is really all that they hold on to in terms of making it illegal, but they're caught in a loop in terms of decriminalization, because the DEA has proven that people used Marijuana first. I'm sorry if I answered a rhetorical question, but I believe that either legalize Marijuana, or make other legal drugs illegal. And I'm pretty sure no one wants a Prohibition type thing, so to maintain their legitimacy in my eyes, the government would have to stop contradicting themselves on the issues of all drugs. Alcohol, Cigarettes, Dip, Cocaine, Meth, and more, are harmful, unlike Marijuana, which can just be vaporized instead of smoked, or even just consumed.

The Prohibition is actually a very good example of why marijuana needs to be legalized, and other drugs at the very least decriminalized.

Prohibition proved that when people want to do something badly enough, no law or threat is gonna stop them. Instead of getting rid of drunkenness, Prohibition merely removed the quality alcohol, allowing the market to be flooded with dangerously low-quality goods. And a massive source of tax revenue suddenly vanished and was diverted entirely into criminal activites.

Another argument commonly cited against legalization is the violence associated with drugs. But WE'RE the ones who create that violence, since we turned it into a criminal venture. I guarantee you that if marijuana were legalized and crack decriminalized, the drug cartels would abandon all their holdings in the US within a month.