Does marijuana lead to hardcore drugs?

Louisville.com ^

[D. Brian Carter]

I knew a lot of hard core druggers in my younger days as well. Likewise, almost all of them were cigarette smokers prior to any drug use, including alcohol. Prior to that, almost 100% of them had drank milk on a fairly regular basis. Any connection?

[longtermmemmory]

last two murder trials I saw did not involve a gun. Poison and a blunt instument.

[LittleJoe]

Fact: Marijuana users are less likely to use heroin, meth or coke.

My source? My wife. She's an RN who works in drug and alcohol rehab in northern Cal.

[MrLeRoy]

Two recent studies have re-ignited the gateway debate. One done on Australian twins found that early marijuana smokers were up to five times more likely to later use harder drugs than the twin who didn't smoke pot. Researchers worked with 311 sets of same-sex twins, including 136 sets of identical twins, in which just one twin had smoked marijuana before age 17. The early marijuana smokers, the researchers found, were about twice as likely to use opiates like heroin, and five times as likely to use hallucinogens.

What nonsense. All a twin study ever proves is the extent to which the studied behavior or condition is genetic. So all they proved is that hard drug use is not genetic. This study in no way disproves that marijuana use and hard drug use are correlated simply because they both spring from a pre-existing propensity to use drugs (whether because one is a risk-taker, or has a mental problem one is seeking to medicate, or whatever).

[MrLeRoy]

How is amsterdam doing with their legal pot experiment? not so good.

Provide evidence for your claim.

[tacticalogic]

Nope, but since almost all murderers own a gun, that logic has been accepted as gospel.

Check out jointogether.org, funded by the same Robert Wood Johnson Foundation referenced in the article.

RWJF was also a major contributor and participant in Hillary's Health Care Task Force, and paid a half million dollars for air time to broacast her "Town Hall Meetings" uninterupted.

[k2blader]

How *is* Amsterdam doing with their legal pot experiment?

Any good links I could check out?

Thanks in advance.

[forktail]

Oh come on. How much better is Zoloff than Pot? Bored housewives in 8,000lbs trucks hopped up on a prescription of Valium... I'll take a pot head anyday.

Don't legalize Pot. Decriminalize it. Don't send some 18 y/o college student to jail for 5 years over a couple of joints. Give him a ticket.

Far more damage is done with leagal drugs like alcohol and tobacco than will ever be done with Pot or Heroin.

And no, I don't smoke dope

[MrLeRoy]

Don't legalize Pot.

Why not?

[Whit]

Will Siss Snitch? The author must suspect that his female sibling is a narc.

[Wolfie]

The Dutch are more than happy with decriminalized marijuana (its not fully legal). They have some of the lowest rates of marijuana and hard drug use in Western Europe. Far lower, even, than the U.S.

[Wolfie]

When people claim the Dutch policy isn't working, they usually mean that people are smoking pot and not getting arrested for it, and, dammit, that ain't right.

[MrLeRoy]

Have any good links for k2blader?

[Wolfie]

The following is a nice analysis of the "Dutch-bashing" phenomenon. Not sure if this is worth it, since its from a pro-legalization site, and we all know that if you are pro-legalization, then you have no right to comment. However, the article links, stats, and presentation of the Dutch governments response is straight from news sources.

Top Story: "The failure of Dutch drug policy" An Examination of Prohibitionist Propaganda and the Official Dutch Government Response

[k2blader]

Thank you!

I've bookmarked this and plan to read through some of it later.

[usurper]

Don't legalize Pot. Decriminalize it. Don't send some 18 y/o college student to jail for 5 years over a couple of joints. Give him a ticket.

I agree with you point but not with your premises, the only people going to jail for 5 years are the ones cultivating or selling large quantities.

With some in the pot debate it’s about the freedom to do what they want and I can accept that libertarian argument, however with a lot of people it’s really about making easy money.

Decriminalization is the worst of all choices because it keeps intact the criminal profits and the associated crime that accompanies it. Make no mistake good people and bad are killed over pot money every day.

Legalize and regularize it or keep it illegal. IMO a wink and nod approach would only further enrich the drug traders and lead to further crime.

[gcruse]

How would you effectivly test for DUI/DWI for pot?
 Roadsides are not accurate enough alone.

If you're not sufficiently impaired to be roadside
tested, that you aren't really DUI, are you?

[Maximum Leader]

Hmmm, the twins study indicates marijuana is a gateway drug for those who started using it before the age of 17?

Does this mean it's a gateway drug for adults who try it? I think the government can do more to stop teenage drug abuse-- like we ban the sales of alcohol to minors-- and should be less concerned about adults who use it.

It's hard to justify liquor being legal for adults and marijuana being illegal. I've never heard of a marijuana user dying of an overdose, and I personally know of people who've died of alcohol poisoning.

Lest you think I'm hitting a bong while I type this, I am not and have never been a smoker-- of tobacoo or marijuana.

[WKB]

All hardcore defendants used pot at least once before moving up. (admitted at least once)

Yeah but did they inhale?

[melsec]

The link is really a cutural one. I know may people who smoke dope (many of them over 40's. They essentially will try anything. It seems that once you have crossed the threshold of doing something illegal. Then it is no big deal which drug you take. Also all these people seem to be experts on what effect these drugs have on you short and long term. The only problem with that is they only seem to read the studies that are pro-drugs. Most of these guys are hardworking successful types not the stereotypical gutter type. Try to get them to give up or take there bong from them and they will literally turn into very angry monsters. Hey but dope's not addictive or nuthin'. Yeah Right!

Mel