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Is Marijuana a gateway drug?

ions said:
It is a gateway to higher and better understanding.
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Sure I can see that. Sometimes I wish I’d written down all the drug induced insights I got, all the “out there” thoughts that ran through my head on various drugs including cannabis. It’s too late now though
 
Cannabis also seems to be the “gateway “ to more progressive drug policies. Dispensaries here in Canada distribute psilocybin openly, psychedelics are being explored for medical use, and hopefully hopefully hopefully there is drug decriminalization or everything in Canada within 5 years.

Oregon (of all places ) decriminalizing everything is very promising
 
I think it's a gateway drug because it's illegal.
It's an illegal substance, and its effect is less potent and less harmful than alcohol.
So many people who start smoking marihuana feel lied to, as it's so arbitrarily illegal,
so they will try other substances in order to find out if they are just as harmless.

At least that's my theory. I started to question a lot after smoking pot for the first time. Took some time until I figured that there's a reason why many drugs are illegal.
 
December Flower said:
I think it's a gateway drug because it's illegal.
It's an illegal substance, and its effect is less potent and less harmful than alcohol.
So many people who start smoking marihuana feel lied to, as it's so arbitrarily illegal,
so they will try other substances in order to find out if they are just as harmless.

At least that's my theory. I started to question a lot after smoking pot for the first time. Took some time until I figured that there's a reason why many drugs are illegal.
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Can you explain what you mean by that ? Why are other drugs are illegal ?
 
the_void said:
Can you explain what you mean by that ? Why are other drugs are illegal ?
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OK let's take you back a few years before you ever tried weed.
You know it's illegal, you have some weird imagine in your head from TV and cartoons that it gives you hallucinations & shit.
Then you try it the first few times and it's just fun, yknow. A bit like alcohol in that your inhibitions go down, and you laugh a lot, etc, but without the negative body feeling and without any drawbacks the next day. Hell I've been smoking for 15 years and I'm still waiting for the drawbacks.

And suddenly you think "why the fuck is this stuff illegal?", and your human curiosity sets in. You're going to ask yourself "What else is illegal that maybe shouldn't be illegal?", and you will gradually try more drugs (at least most people I know) until you either get a really really bad moment with drugs and stop right there, or you just keep diving and diving deeper into drugs.

Edit: Don't get me wrong, I think most of the stuff that's illegal is illegal rightfully so, but I think weed is a step too far, and people could be deterred from even trying it, if it wasn't illegal. There was an oooold old study I used back in my school time, asking 20-30 year old natives in Germany(where it's illegal) and in the Netherlands(where it's legal) if they ever tried Marihuana. I shit you not, in the Netherlands it was 30% less who ever tried it.
 
F.U.B.A.R. said:
^ Many drugs are illegal as they are deemed a threat to society.

The rest are illegal as they are deemed a threat to the facade of society...
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That’s what I grew up with but I turned out to be wrong . In 1914 (see Harrison act) they were worried about white women hanging out with Chinese men for opium, black men for cocaine. Harrison act not enforced until 1919 however .

Sources. In no order “Chasing the Scream” by Johann Hari, “A Brief History Of Drugs” by Antonio Escohotado”
 
December Flower said:
OK let's take you back a few years before you ever tried weed.
You know it's illegal, you have some weird imagine in your head from TV and cartoons that it gives you hallucinations & shit.
Then you try it the first few times and it's just fun, yknow. A bit like alcohol in that your inhibitions go down, and you laugh a lot, etc, but without the negative body feeling and without any drawbacks the next day. Hell I've been smoking for 15 years and I'm still waiting for the drawbacks.

And suddenly you think "why the fuck is this stuff illegal?", and your human curiosity sets in. You're going to ask yourself "What else is illegal that maybe shouldn't be illegal?", and you will gradually try more drugs (at least most people I know) until you either get a really really bad moment with drugs and stop right there, or you just keep diving and diving deeper into drugs.

Edit: Don't get me wrong, I think most of the stuff that's illegal is illegal rightfully so, but I think weed is a step too far, and people could be deterred from even trying it, if it wasn't illegal. There was an oooold old study I used back in my school time, asking 20-30 year old natives in Germany(where it's illegal) and in the Netherlands(where it's legal) if they ever tried Marihuana. I shit you not, in the Netherlands it was 30% less who ever tried it.
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The stuff that’s illegal is rightfully so ? Disagree 100 percent . Mexico plus a whole chunk of South America is such a violent place with warring drug cartels over illicit COCAINE, not cannabis (as far as I know - you got better info, enlighten me)

Cocaine should have been next (after alcohol ) for legalization.

Then - heroin for legalization - as addicts are dropping dead due to impure product (and especially now with fentanyl and analogues thereof )

Don’t get me wrong - hell yeah I think cannabis should be legal, but it isn’t a priority substance. But everything is backwards in this world
 
the_void said:
That’s what I grew up with but I turned out to be wrong . In 1914 (see Harrison act) they were worried about white women hanging out with Chinese men for opium, black men for cocaine. Harrison act not enforced until 1919 however .

Sources. In no order “Chasing the Scream” by Johann Hari, “A Brief History Of Drugs” by Antonio Escohotado”
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If that's what you grew up with then I can't see how you've turned out to be wrong.

Nothing you said there contradicts what I said. In fact, you've just reinforced it.

I was trying to differentiate between drugs that are deemed a threat to society - whether from their toxicity, addictiveness or association with negroes, chinese or willy fuckin Wonka - and those that enlighten the individual to the fragility of society: i.e. the hallucinogens.

Either way, they're all bad 'mkay? :D
 
F.U.B.A.R. said:
If that's what you grew up with then I can't see how you've turned out to be wrong.

Nothing you said there contradicts what I said. In fact, you've just reinforced it.

I was trying to differentiate between drugs that are deemed a threat to society - whether from their toxicity, addictiveness or association with negroes, chinese or willy fuckin Wonka - and those that enlighten the individual to the fragility of society: i.e. the hallucinogens.

Either way, they're all bad 'mkay? :D
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Alright thanks for clarifying
 
the_void said:
Well that may be for your experience but it sure as hell wasn’t mine. I tried pot and experienced anxiety , depression , and paranoia . It was traumatizing to the point it put me off of trying any other drugs for two years. I thought “holy shit - if these are soft drugs then cocaine must be super intense .” Yeah doesn’t work like that .Little did I know I’d turn out to be a hardcore heroin and meth addict . I tried well over hundred drugs and cannabis was one I consistently had trouble with.
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Non sequitur, because the people who get bad responses like you are VERY few, and usually it's after consuming the drug for a while until those responses kick in, panick attacks, etc, usually with people who have ADHD. I included a clause in my post that this is only how MOST people come into contact with illegal drugs.

You had bad reactions to it, that's why you're asking yourself if it really is such a gateway drug, but most people who try have an AMAZING reaction. Absolute relaxation, everything is funny and interesting and awesome, you face hurts from smiling all the time.


the_void said:
The stuff that’s illegal is rightfully so ? Disagree 100 percent . Mexico plus a whole chunk of South America is such a violent place with warring drug cartels over illicit COCAINE, not cannabis (as far as I know - you got better info, enlighten me)

Cocaine should have been next (after alcohol ) for legalization.

Then - heroin for legalization - as addicts are dropping dead due to impure product (and especially now with fentanyl and analogues thereof )

Don’t get me wrong - hell yeah I think cannabis should be legal, but it isn’t a priority substance. But everything is backwards in this world
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I agree. Although the issue is, they should have never been illegalised in the first place. If all drugs/some drugs were suddenly legal, people would now say "Oh, why is it legal now? I need to try this", same curiosity :/ Next problem is distribution, would need highly armed security in every pharmacy for fear of methheads/cokeheads robbing the place. And the labs too, shit.

I certainly agree that cartels have to lose their power, but I'm not sure if there's a "good" way to do it now. We as a society have certainly fucked up in that department
 
December Flower said:
Non sequitur, because the people who get bad responses like you are VERY few, and usually it's after consuming the drug for a while until those responses kick in, panick attacks, etc, usually with people who have ADHD. I included a clause in my post that this is only how MOST people come into contact with illegal drugs.

You had bad reactions to it, that's why you're asking yourself if it really is such a gateway drug, but most people who try have an AMAZING reaction. Absolute relaxation, everything is funny and interesting and awesome, you face hurts from smiling all the time.



I agree. Although the issue is, they should have never been illegalised in the first place. If all drugs/some drugs were suddenly legal, people would now say "Oh, why is it legal now? I need to try this", same curiosity :/ Next problem is distribution, would need highly armed security in every pharmacy for fear of methheads/cokeheads robbing the place. And the labs too, shit.

I certainly agree that cartels have to lose their power, but I'm not sure if there's a "good" way to do it now. We as a society have certainly fucked up in that department
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Dude MANY people have bad experiences with weed it just isnt politically correct to say so (not “very few”) . Weed CAN be trippy its NOT a drug that’s guarantees a nice trip , like mdma . (Although in the end I found some use for oral THC as a sleep aid, by the time it kicks in I’m asleep and then I sleep through the effects)

I’m glad it’s so great for you .

Is the reason I had a bad reaction the reason I’m asking myself if it’s a gateway drug? Scroll above . I’ve had 13 years of heavy immersion in drug culture and have my own perspective on everything such as, is weed the gateway drug (I wrote , for some it can be, for others it isn’t )

(Edit : the only people that , in my experience don’t get at least a semi positive experience from MDMA are either people with serious preceding stimulant abuse histories like meth or cocaine, or people on SSRI antidepressants )
 
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the_void said:
Well that may be for your experience but it sure as hell wasn’t mine. I tried pot and experienced anxiety , depression , and paranoia . It was traumatizing to the point it put me off of trying any other drugs for two years. I thought “holy shit - if these are soft drugs then cocaine must be super intense .” Yeah doesn’t work like that .Little did I know I’d turn out to be a hardcore heroin and meth addict . I tried well over hundred drugs and cannabis was one I consistently had trouble with.

Why is marijuana illegal ? Well I don’t really care much about marijuana but here goes the story as best as I know it. After alcohol prohibition is overturned in the mid 30s or so, Harry Anslinger’s alcohol prohibition department has nothing to do. They target marijuana but it’s used by blacks and hispanics so it’s hard to get white america to care. So they use the fear that white women will hang out with blacks to criminalize MJ

Source : “Chasing The Scream First And The Last Days Of The War On Drugs” by Johann Hari
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Pretty much my experience with it. First time I pulled a whitey, next time was a full on panic attack.

Mushrooms were funny though, if anyone dies from laughter, mushrooms will be the cause.
 
Nipper76 said:
Pretty much my experience with it. First time I pulled a whitey, next time was a full on panic attack.

Mushrooms were funny though, if anyone dies from laughter, mushrooms will be the cause.
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I had lovely experiences on mushrooms and other 5HT2A agonists such as LSD, as well .
 
the_void said:
Dude MANY people have bad experiences with weed it just isnt politically correct to say so (not “very few”) . Weed CAN be trippy its NOT a drug that’s guarantees a nice trip , like mdma . (Although in the end I found some use for oral THC as a sleep aid, by the time it kicks in I’m asleep and then I sleep through the effects)

I’m glad it’s so great for you .

(Edit : the only people that , in my experience don’t get at least a semi positive experience from MDMA are either people with serious preceding stimulant abuse histories like meth or cocaine, or people on SSRI antidepressants )
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My last 5 or so MDMA trips were hell on earth. No other drugs, just the MDMA, not even alcohol or weed.

Huh, I honestly don't know MANY people that had a bad reaction to weed. Maybe 5-10 who said they didn't like it to about a 100+ that did and do.

I don't know maybe it's the different genetics here. Bavaria, farming culture, our ancestors smoked shitloads of weed.
 
It depends on how often you use a drug & your tolerance levels. The reason people upgrade is they want to explore new highs or they want to get higher
 
Many people do begin their drug using career with marijuana, but I don't believe that there is any sort of causation there.
 
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