Alcohol is the prime number one gateway drug, not even a close second. Join reality people.
I think getting high or drunk is dumb, but cannabis is no where near the danger alcohol is. Alcohol has killed millions, and destroyed many millions more.
For all you railing against cannabis you are really too misinformed to have an intelligent conversation with.
And cannabis is not addictive, people can bond to it (become dependant on it to get through day or at stressful times) but people bond to lots of things like caffeine, sugar, sex, shopping, drugs, porn, their blankie.....endly list. Some of these thins people bond to are harmful or can be harmful when used excessively.
There are numerous negative effects associated with cannabis. It reduces initiative and sexual drive; can lead to hallucinations and paranoia; and has some known teratogenetic effects in males. That said, none of these effects come close to the known effects of alcohol.
Alcohol is the number one teratogen in the world. The effects of alcohol on a developing baby are indisputable and cause permanent, irreparable damage. Add in the costs from violence and drunk driving and no drug comes close to the danger of alcohol. While the comparison gives no reason to legalize marijuana, it certainly shows that our system shows no logic when considering the issue.
One of the biggest hurdles is that there is no test to prove someone is high at a given time. THC remains in the blood stream long after the high and there is no discernible relationship to a given level. We all know people who use pot for recreation and are reasonable, productive citizens; h however, few people want to get on a plane whose pilot just smoked pot.
Either way, the fact is that the federal government legally outlawed alcohol by amending the Constitution. Without arguing the merits of such a law, it was legal. The government’s actions through its alphabet agencies have no such legal backing and the effects of the War on Drugs should be anathema to all conservatives. Even when compared to the sickening abuses committed on a national level to “ “fight terrorism,” the WOD has destroyed liberty on a scale unimaginable to our founding fathers. None of these powers were ever granted to the Federal Government and are therefore reserved to the States and the People.
I hate drugs and have personally seen their destructive power, but it all pales in comparison to the destruction of our country that has been perpetrated by this illegal usurpation of powers. The continuous increase in police powers and the accretion of power to Washington has caused more damage to our country than the worst effects of all illegal drug use combined.