Posted on 05/10/2005 2:33:54 PM PDT by bassmaner
"A bit like guns!"
A lot like guns... both being a malevolent talisman to socialists.
He was specifically talking about marijuana as a part of the WOD and not all drugs that fall under the WOD. He advocated nothing but the easing of arrests for marijuana, and the continued fight against hard and dangerous drugs.
www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/826937/posts
Teen-agers who smoked marijuana before turning 17 were more likely to use and abuse harder drugs and alcohol as young adults, a study of Australian twins released on Tuesday said.The "gateway" hypothesis -- where the use of "soft" drugs can lead to a desire for "hard" drugs offering a more intense high -- appeared to be born out in the study of 311 sets of fraternal and identical twins. All the twins included one who had begun smoking marijuana before age 17 while the other had not.
The study found those who had smoked early in life were between two and five times more likely than their nonsmoking siblings to abuse alcohol or harder drugs such as cocaine and heroin when they reached their 20s or 30s.
I think you are right in stating their fear, but I think in the long run that fear is misplaced.
First, I don’t think that most people have either the time or ambition to “grow their own”. You could grow tobacco in your basement but there is no reason to, nor is there a reason to brew your own beer.
Pot is not much different than other low level drugs and the tax revenues that could be generated through legalization would only be dwarfed by the staggering cost savings in terms of enforcement, prosecutions, incarceration, probation and parole management.
I have no doubt that there would be significant negative societal consequences to such a move; however denying the billions in profit to the criminal organizations behind this increasing violent industry is tempting.
Ahh, but accorkding to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, tobacco and alcohol are the true gateway drugs.
CASA analysis reveals:
Ninety percent of children who used marijuana smoked or drank first.
Children who drink are 50 times more likely to use cocaine than non-drinkers.
Children who smoke are 19 times more likely to use cocaine than nonsmokers.
The CASA study also links the use of gateway drugs by children with subsequent regular use of illicit substances as adults:
Ninety-one percent of adults who used marijuana as children smoked or drank first.
Adults who drank as children are six times more likely to
be regular cocaine users.
While I tossed out the paraphenalia after high school the government's woody for going after these easy targets has always struck me as being evil in itself. Confiscation laws and the private prison industry has had a hand in perpetuating the witch hunt. Mandatory mininum sentencing has cost us billions in this case.
But what do I know - I continually stayed under the influence for three years and graduated valedictorian. If I kept it up I might have stayed in college (BEER is the gateway drug to KEGS)!
That's all just urine under the bridge now...
Need a cite woofie; it's not that I don't trust you or anything, I just like to read and 'bookmark' those kind of sources ...
Beyond Friday nights however, it was straight milk, or iced tea.
Well Nancy, we were talking about our dining tonight. You ate all the anchovies with a 2 quart ice cream chaser. I ate the pizza with the green topping. The Bumble Bee tuna was over cooked; and a bit zippy with the Tabasco. Todd and Karen are into a peanut throwing contest. Karen is the better pitcher (or is that picher, or picture?).
That said, I will get this all straightened out tomorrow. ... now, who's got the roach clip?
Someone put on Carlos or Elton.
A younger business associate of mine is harvesting a small crop. I gave up the desire toking about 25 years ago.
I saw your name and had to speak up. John Kennedy Toole wrote one hell of a funny book. Not too many people have read it so it is was nice to see someone who had.
Two days later at work, both Barb and Rick said that if we were not such good friends, Rick would have killed me for grabbing Barb's tits.
Now THAT is the last time I toked a joint.
Yeah, it is a great book. Such a shame the guy took himself out, would love to read more of his stuff.
Yep, very sad deal.
The "gateway" hypothesis -- where the use of "soft" drugs can lead to a desire for "hard" drugs offering a more intense high
Agree?
Rich is Right.
Well, the CASA stats are very much open to interpretation. And I feel free to add mine.
Pot is a relatively benign substance from a phyical health standpoint. Not harmless, but in the scheme of things, not a big deal.
I have formed my opinions based on my own use (in the old days) and my observations of those I knew. I pretty much have to go with the "dependent personality" type senerio. i.e. the problem lies more with the user than on the substance used.
The concept of "gateway" drugs is pretty much a fallacy. The gateway drug is the first drug a dependent personality happens to get a hold of.
In any case, in a practical sense, focusing so much on pot in this drug issue has accomplished little or nothing outside of driving up prices and stimulating the ingenuity of those interested in producing alternate sources of it. Done nothing about the heavy duty stuff.
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