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YEP... I had a guy walk up to me at work one day and with a big smile ask "do you smoke???"
I said "What"
He said "you know"
I said "sometimes"
He said 'You are the last person in the world I would think smoked"
Law enforcement officers, because of the riffraff types of individuals they have to deal with daily, are probably the least objective people on the planet when it comes to evaluating cannabis and its effects.
There's so much truth in this, but fortunately there are a few LEOs out there that see the truth (mostly younger ones)
Quote:
Originally Posted by B2dathird
YEP... I had a guy walk up to me at work one day and with a big smile ask "do you smoke???"
I said "What"
He said "you know"
I said "sometimes"
He said 'You are the last person in the world I would think smoked"
I get a similar reaction a lot, mostly because I'm clean cut, well spoken, polite and courteous, hold down a well paying regular job & have all my tattoos and piercings hidden under my business causal attire.
I literally have nuns tell me daily what a polite and helpful young man I am.
Calling MJ a "gateway" drug is just nonsense created by the Federal Govt to support the ridiculous laws that surround MJ. Big Pharma also has a stake in this wacky classification. As of today, MJ is still classified a Schedule 1 drug by the DEA:
"Schedule I drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Some examples of Schedule I drugs are:
heroin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), marijuana (cannabis), 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy), methaqualone, and peyote"
Who would ever consider MJ the same as heroin or LSD?
Here is Schedule 2:
"Combination products with less than 15 milligrams of hydrocodone per dosage unit (Vicodin), cocaine, methamphetamine, methadone, hydromorphone (Dilaudid), meperidine (Demerol), oxycodone (OxyContin), fentanyl, Dexedrine, Adderall, and Ritalin"
So the main cause of the increase on heroin use in the USA - OxyContin, has a lower classification than MJ. How absurd.
It is impossible to take the DEA seriously with these classifications. They are clearly lying about marijuana.
Most of the 'legalize marijuana' advocates claim it is not a gateway drug. Likewise, most ongoing marijuana users would probably say they 'have it under control' and it is not a gateway drug.
However, based on 25+ years in 'street ministry' with hundreds of hard drug addicts: almost every one of them will admits their drug usage started by experimenting with marijuana. None of them set-out to become a drug addicts!
Ultimately, the same addictive compulsive attitudes (not marijuana or beer themselves) lead to hard drug addiction and alcoholism. But, without the weaker, socially acceptable/promoted substances, users might never conclude they could "handle" stronger substances. Similarly, it's been shown that there are fewer addicted smokers (and related health and death issues) since smoking became more restrictive and less socially acceptable in the U.S.. The same cannot be said of other countries.
The evidence of whether marijuana is a gateway drug or not is inconclusive. Still, who is foolish enough to declare that its usage is healthy, leads to greater productivity and has greater benefits than potential negative consequences? In some respects, legalizing marijuana is like removing the helmet requirements for motorcycle riders. It may be legal, but, (except for isolated health conditions), is it really useful and desirable and does it generally lead to a positive outcome? --
The old "If it feels good, do it" argument has long been fostered for many behaviors, by those with limited self-control, but, is largely recognized as detrimental to society.
Most people drinking or using marijuana casually are not genetically preprogrammed to become addicts. However, because they are relatively common and popular drugs, most hard drug users will start there because they are popular.
It is no more a getway drug then alcohol is. People who are prone to addiction will be much more inclined to move onto harder drugs to chase the big/longer/more intense high, but again, no more so than those who abuse alcohol. If it used for medicinal purposes, it is far less addicting than opiates.
Most of the 'legalize marijuana' advocates claim it is not a gateway drug.
Likewise, most ongoing marijuana users would probably say they 'have it under control'
and it is not a gateway drug.
However..
Come on! You're smarter than this.
I'm sure the thread has had this pointed out before now
but just in case and to add my 2¢ to the discussion... here we go.
To the degree that there is ANY association between marijuana use and the use of anything stronger
...that is based almost entirely in the illegality aspects of use -who some users are exposed to-
and not the pharmacology or chemistry of the substances involved. Not 100% but real real close.
Posit: Don't make people have to associate with active criminals and they won't.
There really isn't much more to it than that.
---
This reality is probably the #1 reason we haven't banned tobacco cigarettes.
Despite the undisputed trash they are and social costs of their use
...can you imagine the fallout if prohibition were attempted on their Marlboro's?
That might be true in some States, but my experience in Oregon is it's not. Even before it was legal, the sellers I dealt with only sold pot and pot products, not Meth, Coke, Heroin, pills, etc. Those are hard drugs, pot is not a hard drug.
Now that it's legal, what dispensary would also sell illegal drugs? None that I know of.
That matches up with my experience too. Weed dealers sold weed, they didn't use or sell the harder drugs. Hard drug dealers typically offered weed for sale but it was low grade schwag that no self respecting cannabis user would want.
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