Gateway Drug?

[Inferius]

First off marijuana isnt a drug, it's a plant that produces psychoactive glands that also serves a purpose of keeping insects off of the flowers. Why it gets us high? I dont know but I can tell you that me and almost everyone on this forum is a prime example of why marijuana is NOT a gateway drug. I will stick with marijuana till I die. I've been doin it since 13 and you dont see me going around asking for crack rocks and heroin and shit like that. I dont wanna be an addictive fuck, fuck up half my life, have to go thru detox and a fucking embarassing rehab program. So why would I go off and try something else? It has no bad effects on me and I DO realize other drugs are bad...for example there are quite a few celebs that died from other drugs, like ODB died from an overdose of cocaine and a perscription drug. Marijuana doesnt kill and it doesnt send your life downhill. Fuck off, get banned, thank you .

Just lettin' you know if you wanted to edit, you said it wasn't a drug and then referred to it in the sentance "It has no bad effects on me and I do realize other drugs are bad"
You called it a drug.
heh. Ya'll are forgetting the real meaning of a gateway drug. Gateway Drug means the user of a drug will lose their interest in the drug becuase they aren't expiriencing the same "high" as the first couple of times. They will then proceed to try harder drugs to acheive the same state of euphoria/w/e.
However, if you were to say that marijauna LED to other drugs, in general, without gateway drug in the sentance, then yes, I'd have to agree with you on general. But I also beleive alcohol and caffeine do the same thing. Anything that alters your mindstate in a noticeable way will get the user thinking about other drugs. Curiosity. It's inevitable, if you get drunk, you're going to realize, I feel different, I wonder what other things feel like. I'm not saying this is going to DRIVE YOU to do harder or addictive drugs, merely that the psychonaut curiosity will open up your mind from all the nauseating and smothering government/w/e anti-drug propaganda that we're fed on television and in school.
I knew, even when I was little, that I would try drugs. Wanna know why? DREAMS. I loved my dreams, I loved the things I could feel and taste and expirience with an altered state of consciousness.
Is Dreaming a gateway drug? Does it lead to harder drug use?
NO. Curiosity did. :thumbsup:

[jamstigator]

Marijuana does have a few bad or ambiguous properties. Most of the effects though are ones that people deem good. The two primary good effects for me are: 1) it makes me laugh a lot, and laughter is VERY good for you; and 2) it makes me sleep better.

The only real unambiguously bad side effect that I experience is that it negatively affects my ability to properly access my learned vocabulary, especially when it comes to words that I don't use often. This effect is temporary though, and goes away when you quit for a month or so.

Pot's been damn near a life-saver for my woman. She has extreme difficulty getting to sleep and staying asleep. That may sound like a trivial problem if you haven't experienced it, but long term sleep deprivation totally destroys one's quality of life. That's why it's used as a mild form of torture when interrogating prisoners, because it just sucks balls. It's not at ALL a trivial problem. With pot she sleeps great, which affects everything: she's happier, more rested, gets more done, isn't a bitch to be around. Of course, there are a variety of prescription pills that knock you out too, and she's tried many, but in the end pot helps her just as much, with fewer side effects, and it's not addictive. (Some of her prescription meds are *quite* addictive.)

The theory that pot is a gateway drug has been thoroughly disproven. Saying that it's a gateway drug is just ignoring the evidence.

[Tray7]

Orangeman i don't mean to flame you, but how can you say that marijuana isn't a drug just because it's natural? It changes your perception on reality and to your senses!
Just because something is natural doesn't mean it's not bad for you. You can eat datura or a poisonous fungi and it WILL KILL YOU! They are natural.
Weed is not a gateway drug in my opinion, it's all about people's personalities and the way in which that individual thinks.
I honestly think weed is bad for you..but i get around those bad qualities by excercising, doing my school work, not smoking TOO much, and not letting weed become ALL of my life!
You guys that are saying it's completely harmless are nuts in my opinion. I don't think it's all that bad unless you get mentally impaired..but it's definitely NOT harmless.
I know i'm right..you guys can't just hide from the fact it can be bad for you!

I agree with you. I think that there are a lot of bad qualities to weed. For example... ever since weed I have become a different kind of person. I am pretty much lazy and like to just "hang out" with my friends and sit and get stoned. I used to be so much more active and have hobbies. I need to become a "productive stoner".

[dopesmoker]

marijuana is definetly not a gateway drug...it never made me want to do other drugs after i took it. I've smoking it for 2.5 years and the only other drug i've done is alcohol....and alcohol was the first thing that i got into, other then the stuff like caffeine and whatnot. I'm think i might do lsd sometime this summer but i done have to, and marijuana doesnt make me want to. If marijuana wasnt in existence all these other drugs still would be here and people would still be using them. its not marijuana that makes you do other drugs, thats like saying hugging someone makes you need to have sex with them. Its a proven fact that it isnt a gateway drug, and its unfortunate that governments still try to pass it off as one.

[NightProwler]

marijuana has steered me clear from the bad drugs. im not gonna do coke,crack, heroin, meth, or any stupid shit. just the good drugs for me.

[BuenoMota]

The whole "gateway" theory is a bunch of horse shit. Do we say working at McDonalds is a gateway job to becoming a manager?

NO! That sounds absolutely ridiculous if you use any other variables. We are conditioned to accept this is actually a valid theory, like the most-tested theory of all time: Evolution.

HAHAA, that made me laugh alot. thank you.

[Big Calhoun]

I think it's about ones own perception and willingness to...'go further'. I mean, if you smoke herb and are comfortable with the high, you may not have a desire to do or try anything else. Be it stories you've heard, people you've seen, or just lack of interest. On the other hand, if you smoke, enjoy the high, and wonder if there are other or 'better' highs you can achieve, then you might have a higher chance in branching out and trying other drugs.

[psymin]

every thing in moderation

[psymin]

weed, i used to love it untill i smoked to much, now it gives me real bad parra. might also be a mix of other drugs that i regular use(mdma,ket,lsd,2cb) like most people weed was the first. it just opens your mind. livng in certain comunities give u acces to differnt minds. there is allot of propoganda and hate out there, dont get caught up in it.

psy

[Nylo]

I don't believe it's a gateway drug at all. I was a lot like PsychoPixi: I used to believe heavily that marijuana was inherantly a gateway drug. I thought if I smoked the stuff I'd want a stronger, different high.

To this day I only enjoy marijuana. A few drinks are fine on occasion, and I smoke one ciggie probably once every 5 months. Like PsychoPixi, I may try shrooms one day, but only because I've gotten my hands on every piece of research I can get a hold of.

It's a personal choice of mine to keep it that way. I love Mary Jane =]