Not a gateway drug???Non-addictive????
BULL-SCHIDT!!!
I've personally seen it far too often.
And how many of them really started with perfectly legal alcohol or cigarettes? Any addiction to marijuana is mental, not physical.
Alcohol and nicotine are physical addictions, complete with side effects, when trying to quit. Overdoses on either will kill you.
Something that doesn't happen, even if you smoke an ounce of weed in one sitting.
But I'll play along. It's a gateway drug, in some cases. I can agree with that. But here's the rub, on that count Loc.
Cannabis is a schedule 1 drug, IE, no medical use or purpose, placing it with LSD, and a couple other illicit substances.
Cocaine, heroin, PCP, Ketamine, methamphetamines, all are schedule 2 drugs, meaning they have a medical use, but are very strictly regulated and restricted. Same with most main stem opioids, which are schedule 3.
So, by labeling cannabis as a gateway drug, you are saying that it's a gateway to safer drugs, using the FDA scheduling system. Because I can list medical uses for each of those other drugs, that are listed and recognized by the FDA. Some off label, and some in the veterinary field.
Cocain is a strong local anesthetic, used in eye surgery. OCO and Ketamine are animal tranquilizers, n heroin is an opiate, used for pain management, in the lighter, legal form.
If it exists, and people use or consume it, people can become addicted to it. They can also use it, and not become addicts, even after using it, as well. And all banning something does is open up a black market, for that thing. Untaxed liquor, banned guns magazines, and ammo, drugs, and even everyday items, banned in jails and prisons, that people want, someone will always have them, and be willing to sell them. Legal marijuana wouldn't change that, just as having it illegal hasn't.
But, legal marijuana can reduce it, because it would allow development of better more potent strains. Someone looking for more kick, wouldn't have to try something harder, that could kill them, or hook them harder. Also, being able to go to a dispensary, or a "Coffee Shop ", as in Ansterdam, they aren't getting exposed to the other, illegal drugs.
Where weed is legal, the use of other illegal drugs, is way down.
And were not even getting into taxation revenue yet. Something we don't benefit from, in the current black market system.
Legalize it, tax it, regulate it, and there would be benefits from doing so, including in the medicinal end of things. Better strains, both for the high, and for high free treatments for certain conditions would come. With the federal ban, we have very limited research now, and some serious untapped potential, because of it.
On the comment of armed and stoned, here's a thought. Does that actually scare you more, in say my case, me being armed with a little THC, in a great mood, still completely functional, compared to half awake, close to zombified, waking up with night terrors, with a loaded handgun on the nightstand beside me? Because my wife's opinion on that may differ from yours, a lot. One of those meds, that I refused, included rare cases of waking up in a violent rage. Even weeks after you stop taking it.
A few hits of Blueberry Kush that's done affecting you in 2 hours.
On the pain, and illnesses, my condloences.
