3. Marijuana is a 'Gateway Drug'

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   This is one of the more persistent myths. A real world example of what happens when marijuana is readily available can be found in Holland. The Dutch partially legalized marijuana in the 1970s. Since then, hard drug use-heroin and cocaine-have DECLINED substantially. If marijuana really were a gateway drug, one would have expected use of hard drugs to have gone up, not down. This apparent "negative gateway" effect has also been observed in the United States. Studies done in the early 1970s showed a negative correlation between use of marijuana and use of alcohol. A 1993 Rand Corporation study that compared drug use in states that had decriminalized marijuana versus those that had not, found that where marijuana was more available-the states that had decriminalized-hard drug abuse as measured by emergency room episodes decreased. In short, what science and actual experience tell us is that marijuana tends to substitute for the much more dangerous hard drugs like alcohol, cocaine, and heroin. 

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seeroseero Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List Sensi Advanced Grower J5R Joined: 09 July 2004 Location: Netherlands Online Status: Offline Posts: 426	Quote Reply Topic: 3. Marijuana is a 'Gateway Drug' Posted: 15 July 2004 at 11:33
	This is one of the more persistent myths. A real world example of what happens when marijuana is readily available can be found in Holland. The Dutch partially legalized marijuana in the 1970s. Since then, hard drug use-heroin and cocaine-have DECLINED substantially. If marijuana really were a gateway drug, one would have expected use of hard drugs to have gone up, not down. This apparent "negative gateway" effect has also been observed in the United States. Studies done in the early 1970s showed a negative correlation between use of marijuana and use of alcohol. A 1993 Rand Corporation study that compared drug use in states that had decriminalized marijuana versus those that had not, found that where marijuana was more available-the states that had decriminalized-hard drug abuse as measured by emergency room episodes decreased. In short, what science and actual experience tell us is that marijuana tends to substitute for the much more dangerous hard drugs like alcohol, cocaine, and heroin. Edited by administrator

Ganja Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Sensi Administrator Joined: 13 June 2003 Online Status: Offline Posts: 4861	Quote Reply Posted: 29 September 2004 at 18:04
	The 'gateway drug' myth doesn't even stand up to a few minutes of rational thought. If you believe it, it would have to be based on some kind of magical connection between those drugs which have arbitrarily been designated as 'bad' (or, rather, illegal). It basically suggests that two utterly different substances, such as cannabis and heroin, or cannabis and cocaine, somehow relate to each other, or are treated in the same way by the body of the user. Obviously, that's not true. If there's anecdotal evidence to support the 'gateway' myth, it's not a result of cannabis being a dangerous drug, it's the direct result of irrational cannabis laws, which make it impossible for most people to buy cannabis from a reputable, regulated source. The result is that most cannabis ends up being sold by, guess who? Drug dealers! People who sell all sorts of dangerous drugs, mostly because of the high profit related to selling illegal items. So, the only reason cannabis has ANYTHING in common with hard drugs is that prohibition places it in the same category! IMHO it would be better to describe cannabis prohibition as a 'gateway law' that places people at risk of all sorts of danger and addiction by forcing them to associate with organised crime, just to obtain a plant that they could easily grow in their garden. If you think about the effects, alcohol has a LOT more in common with heroin than cannabis does. Booze and smack are both powerful, addictive sedatives, both are used to numb pain (physical, emotional, mental). Both are known for quickly making dependencies in people who use them to escape such problems. With that kind of similarity, alcohol makes a much better gateway drug to heroin, for users who are looking for a harder substance. It's just that you can be an alcoholic for decades without ever meeting a drug dealer. You can get your drug at the supermarket.
	No grow questions to me by PM, please. Check the FAQ & try searching. It's likely your question has been answered. If it hasn't, please post your question on the forums, where everyone can answer.

Ganja Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Sensi Administrator Joined: 13 June 2003 Online Status: Offline Posts: 4861	Quote Reply Posted: 29 September 2004 at 18:08
	Another important point is that if you teach kids that cannabis is a dangerous drug, it probably won't stop them from trying it, but when they realise that you were exaggerating, or flat out lying about it, why would they believe what you told them about crack and heroin, even if it's true? Gateway Law!
	No grow questions to me by PM, please. Check the FAQ & try searching. It's likely your question has been answered. If it hasn't, please post your question on the forums, where everyone can answer.

Delta9_Dude Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Sensi Grower Joined: 08 July 2004 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 19	Quote Reply Posted: 04 October 2004 at 16:42
	TRUE DAT! GO GANJA... This applies to a lot more situations I think. But it's a nice example
	Havin' a bud, watching the game..

seeroseero Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List Sensi Advanced Grower J5R Joined: 09 July 2004 Location: Netherlands Online Status: Offline Posts: 426	Quote Reply Posted: 12 October 2004 at 21:33
	Damm weed junkies, THE DEVILS HARVEST!! I SAY! THE DEVILS HARVEST!