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The "Gateway Drug" LIE

Binary_Digit

Binary_Digit

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Almost 20 years ago (1999), the Institute of Medicine published a report entitled "Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base." In the report, it addressed the LIE that marijuana is a "gateway drug" which compels users toward using harder drugs. Here's what it said:

"It does not appear to be a gateway drug to the extent that it is the cause or even that it is the most significant predictor of serious drug abuse; that is, care must be taken not to attribute cause to association.” [p. 101]

"There is no evidence that marijuana serves as a steppingstone on the basis of its particular physiological effect.” [p. 99]

“Instead, the legal status of marijuana makes it a gateway drug.” [p. 99]

http://docshare03.docshare.tips/files/26497/264976788.pdf

That was almost 20 years ago.

Due to a lawsuit from ASA (Americans for Safe Access) claiming a violation of the Information Quality Act, the DEA finally took down this LIE (and dozens of others) from its website earlier this year:

https://www.civilized.life/articles/dea-stands-downbacks-off-on-gateway-drug-theory/

But here's Attorney General Jeff Sessions two months ago:

"Good people don't smoke marijuana. (snip) You'll see cocaine and heroin increase more than it would have."

Attorney General Jeff Sessions on legal weed - Business Insider

And here's DHS Secretary John Kelly just TODAY:

"Let me be clear about marijuana. It is a potentially dangerous gateway drug that frequently leads to the use of harder drugs,"

Almost 20 years ago, doctors who actually knew what the hell they were talking about tried to put this LIE to rest. Almost 20 years later, we still have willfully-ignorant fossils in our government continuing to repeat this LIE.

Why do we put up with this bull****? Why isn't the MSM (and the public at large) holding these LIARS to account?
 
Drinking milk is a gateway to drinking alcohol. Want proof? - ask a drunk if they once drank milk. ;)
 
Without a so called war on drugs they would cease to be relevant. Besides, the private prisons have a quota to fill.
 
Binary_Digit said:
Almost 20 years ago (1999), the Institute of Medicine published a report entitled "Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base." In the report, it addressed the LIE that marijuana is a "gateway drug" which compels users toward using harder drugs. Here's what it said:

"It does not appear to be a gateway drug to the extent that it is the cause or even that it is the most significant predictor of serious drug abuse; that is, care must be taken not to attribute cause to association.” [p. 101]

"There is no evidence that marijuana serves as a steppingstone on the basis of its particular physiological effect.” [p. 99]

“Instead, the legal status of marijuana makes it a gateway drug.” [p. 99]

http://docshare03.docshare.tips/files/26497/264976788.pdf

That was almost 20 years ago.

Due to a lawsuit from ASA (Americans for Safe Access) claiming a violation of the Information Quality Act, the DEA finally took down this LIE (and dozens of others) from its website earlier this year:

https://www.civilized.life/articles/dea-stands-downbacks-off-on-gateway-drug-theory/

But here's Attorney General Jeff Sessions two months ago:

"Good people don't smoke marijuana. (snip) You'll see cocaine and heroin increase more than it would have."

Attorney General Jeff Sessions on legal weed - Business Insider

And here's DHS Secretary John Kelly just TODAY:

"Let me be clear about marijuana. It is a potentially dangerous gateway drug that frequently leads to the use of harder drugs,"

Almost 20 years ago, doctors who actually knew what the hell they were talking about tried to put this LIE to rest. Almost 20 years later, we still have willfully-ignorant fossils in our government continuing to repeat this LIE.

Why do we put up with this bull****? Why isn't the MSM (and the public at large) holding these LIARS to account?
Click to expand...

Gateway drugs are cigarettes and alcohol, if we are playing that game.
 
Moot said:
Without a so called war on drugs they would cease to be relevant. Besides, the private prisons have a quota to fill.
Click to expand...


That's a lot of why pot is still illegal. It brings in a steady stream of clients for the for profit prison system.
 
I know when I am vaping some bud while listening to Pink Floyd and contemplating the universe, I just can't take my mind off how awesome it would be to inject a syringe of heroine into my veins. :roll:
 
calamity said:
Gateway drugs are cigarettes and alcohol, if we are playing that game.
Click to expand...
Correlation or causation? Do cigarettes or alcohol actually cause people to try other drugs, or is it something about their personality that compels them to try both? Expert consensus holds that it's the latter, not the former.

BTW, here's another willfully ignorant chump who doesn't deserve to hold public office:

“A couple of weeks ago during the state work period, I held a roundtable discussion in Fremont, Ohio, where I met Matt Bell (snip). For him, the gateway drug was marijuana and alcohol in high school. He ended up overdosing on heroin three times. He was convicted of 13 felonies. He went to detox 28 times." - Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) - 3/16/2017.

And another turd for West Virginian's to get rid of next election:

"They got started out as a kid smoking occasional -- what we call recreational marijuana. From there it led into prescriptions, taking out of their parents or grandparents medicine cabinet and become a cool kid. Then it turned into where they were hooked. Now heroin comes on. Now the fentanyl comes on. It's unbelievable." - Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) - 12/21/2016

New York, here's your trash:

“Because the flip side argument is it’s a gateway drug and marijuana leads to other drugs and there’s a lot of proof that’s true.” - Gov. Andrew Cuomo - 2/8/2017

New Jersey? Not holding my breath, but here's yet another reason your turd governor is unfit to serve:

"Look at the way people get used and move on to other drugs when they use marijuana as a gateway drug" - Gov. Chris Christie, 9/16/2015

These people have willfully ignored the best available scientific information, and have supplanted expert consensus with their own versions of reality. They can all kiss my pasty white ass.
 
Dittohead not! said:
[/B]

That's a lot of why pot is still illegal. It brings in a steady stream of clients for the for profit prison system.
Click to expand...

That and Big Pharma doesn't like competition...and there's no kick backs for doctors.
 
Mmm.


Perhaps not in and of itself.


BUT... but.


People willing to do one illegal drug may well be tempted to try another. If they're a weed smoker and hang out with weed smokers, odds are good at least one of their friends does more than just weed and may suggest other drugs to them.


I'd say it's not so much that mj is a gateway in an of itself, but that it tends to expose users to others who do harder drugs, and to the contacts needed to acquire same... and that the inclination to use one illegal drug makes it more likely you might give in to the temptation to try something else when offered or suggested.


Not an inherent property of mj itself, in other words, but a risk associated with the subculture that uses it.


From personal experience: some people smoke weed all their life and never do anything harder.... but a good many do try other stuff.
 
Moot said:
Without a so called war on drugs they would cease to be relevant. Besides, the private prisons have a quota to fill.
Click to expand...
So sad but so true.

We just had a nation wide manhunt for some psychopathic asshole who murdered one innocent 70-year-old man and put it on Facebook. But nobody gives a **** about the millions of people who'se lives have been raped and pillaged by this selfish desire to fill private prisons and keep them in the black. Stupid laws are the root cause, and stupid policymakers keep the stupid drug laws on the books. The whole thing is so stupid it almost makes me nauseous.

It's beyond overdue for the public at large to hold these chumps accountable for this kind of filthy sewage they call "representation." If they can't be bothered to inform themselves of the best available facts, they shouldn't even be managing a fast food restaurant, much less an entire state.
 
Binary_Digit said:
Almost 20 years ago (1999), the Institute of Medicine published a report entitled "Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base." In the report, it addressed the LIE that marijuana is a "gateway drug" which compels users toward using harder drugs. Here's what it said:

"It does not appear to be a gateway drug to the extent that it is the cause or even that it is the most significant predictor of serious drug abuse; that is, care must be taken not to attribute cause to association.” [p. 101]

"There is no evidence that marijuana serves as a steppingstone on the basis of its particular physiological effect.” [p. 99]

“Instead, the legal status of marijuana makes it a gateway drug.” [p. 99]

http://docshare03.docshare.tips/files/26497/264976788.pdf

That was almost 20 years ago.

Due to a lawsuit from ASA (Americans for Safe Access) claiming a violation of the Information Quality Act, the DEA finally took down this LIE (and dozens of others) from its website earlier this year:

https://www.civilized.life/articles/dea-stands-downbacks-off-on-gateway-drug-theory/

But here's Attorney General Jeff Sessions two months ago:

"Good people don't smoke marijuana. (snip) You'll see cocaine and heroin increase more than it would have."

Attorney General Jeff Sessions on legal weed - Business Insider

And here's DHS Secretary John Kelly just TODAY:

"Let me be clear about marijuana. It is a potentially dangerous gateway drug that frequently leads to the use of harder drugs,"

Almost 20 years ago, doctors who actually knew what the hell they were talking about tried to put this LIE to rest. Almost 20 years later, we still have willfully-ignorant fossils in our government continuing to repeat this LIE.

Why do we put up with this bull****? Why isn't the MSM (and the public at large) holding these LIARS to account?
Click to expand...

Well, actually I know personally that people do go from smoking weed to using harder drugs over time. But hey, that's just my personal experience with people I know.
 
Goshin said:
Mmm.


Perhaps not in and of itself.


BUT... but.


People willing to do one illegal drug may well be tempted to try another. If they're a weed smoker and hang out with weed smokers, odds are good at least one of their friends does more than just weed and may suggest other drugs to them.


I'd say it's not so much that mj is a gateway in an of itself, but that it tends to expose users to others who do harder drugs, and to the contacts needed to acquire same... and that the inclination to use one illegal drug makes it more likely you might give in to the temptation to try something else when offered or suggested.


Not an inherent property of mj itself, in other words, but a risk associated with the subculture that uses it.


From personal experience: some people smoke weed all their life and never do anything harder.... but a good many do try other stuff.
Click to expand...
Pretty good points, but I think everything there falls into one of two categories:

1. Correlation/causation fallacy. Does marijuana actually cause people to try other drugs, or is it something about their personality that compels them to try both? Expert consensus holds that it's the latter, not the former.

2. The legal status of marijuana is what makes it a gateway drug. Those who want it have to get it from people who may also be involved in harder drugs. And marijuana smokers are usually marginalized and segregated into legal vs. illegal cultures. It's either alcohol or illegal drugs; there's almost no in-between. This subculture you mention is a product of prohibition, not inherent to marijuana or its use.
 
Tigerace117 said:
Well, actually I know personally that people do go from smoking weed to using harder drugs over time. But hey, that's just my personal experience with people I know.
Click to expand...
Does marijuana actually cause people to try other drugs, or is it something about their personality that compels them to try both? Expert consensus holds that it's the latter, not the former.
 
Binary_Digit said:
Does marijuana actually cause people to try other drugs, or is it something about their personality that compels them to try both? Expert consensus holds that it's the latter, not the former.
Click to expand...

Are you asking if doing marijuana causes people to want to do other drugs?
 
Tigerace117 said:
Are you asking if doing marijuana causes people to want to do other drugs?
Click to expand...
No, I'm asking one of the central questions regarding whether or not marijuana is a "gateway drug", and quoting the Institute of Medicine for the answer.

There is no chemical or property in marijuana that compels users to try other drugs. This has been known for almost 20 years by anyone who would rather listen to medical experts than some douchebag politician who willfully chooses to remain ignorant on the subject and then expels his filthy fact sewage onto those he claims to represent.
 
Binary_Digit said:
No, I'm asking one of the central questions regarding whether or not marijuana is a "gateway drug", and quoting the Institute of Medicine for the answer.

There is no chemical or property in marijuana that compels users to try other drugs. This has been known for almost 20 years by anyone who would rather listen to medical experts than some douchebag politician who willfully chooses to remain ignorant on the subject and then expels his filthy fact sewage onto those he claims to represent.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, a lot of people listen to to the latter rather than the former.
 
Binary_Digit said:
No, I'm asking one of the central questions regarding whether or not marijuana is a "gateway drug", and quoting the Institute of Medicine for the answer.

There is no chemical or property in marijuana that compels users to try other drugs. This has been known for almost 20 years by anyone who would rather listen to medical experts than some douchebag politician who willfully chooses to remain ignorant on the subject and then expels his filthy fact sewage onto those he claims to represent.
Click to expand...

But human nature means that regardless of a chemical property in the drug itself, it does act as a gateway drug in a way.
 
Tigerace117 said:
But human nature means that regardless of a chemical property in the drug itself, it does act as a gateway drug in a way.
Click to expand...
Human nature?

Or do you mean addictive personalities?

If it were human nature we'd all be meth heads after just a few backyard BBQs where beer is available.

If you think I'm wrong, please explain why you believe marijuana would act as any more of a gateway drug than, say, Jose Quervo.
 
Binary_Digit said:
Pretty good points, but I think everything there falls into one of two categories:

1. Correlation/causation fallacy. Does marijuana actually cause people to try other drugs, or is it something about their personality that compels them to try both? Expert consensus holds that it's the latter, not the former.

2. The legal status of marijuana is what makes it a gateway drug. Those who want it have to get it from people who may also be involved in harder drugs. And marijuana smokers are usually marginalized and segregated into legal vs. illegal cultures. It's either alcohol or illegal drugs; there's almost no in-between. This subculture you mention is a product of prohibition, not inherent to marijuana or its use.
Click to expand...



I can't really disagree with that.



I don't partake and frankly think it is better not to, but I also support full legalization for political, social and economic reasons.
 
Like I said, I support full legalization... not just decriminalization but FULL legalization... grow it, sell it, tax it, regulate it, bring the whole thing into the light.


Not without reservation though.

There are studies showing mj isn't good for the developing teenage brain. Naturally it wouldn't be legal to sell to minors of course... hell a full legalized and regulated supply chain might even make it a little harder for minors to get.


Main thing that give me pause is personal observation... almost all the long-term heavy weed smokers I've known are distinct underachievers, not overly bright, and frequently have some pretty odd notions about things best characterized as black-helo CT stuff.

Granted, long term heavy alcohol use isn't so good for the intellect either, but it worries me a bit.
 
Goshin said:
I don't partake and frankly think it is better not to
Click to expand...
Yes. Drugs are bad, prohibition is worse. Your body not mine, my body not yours. My right to swing my fist ends at your nose. All the happy and awesome American stuff applies. Or should, anyway.
 
Goshin said:
Like I said, I support full legalization... not just decriminalization but FULL legalization... grow it, sell it, tax it, regulate it, bring the whole thing into the light.


Not without reservation though.

There are studies showing mj isn't good for the developing teenage brain. Naturally it wouldn't be legal to sell to minors of course... hell a full legalized and regulated supply chain might even make it a little harder for minors to get.
Click to expand...
It's like you were reading my mind.

Goshin said:
Main thing that give me pause is personal observation... almost all the long-term heavy weed smokers I've known are distinct underachievers, not overly bright, and frequently have some pretty odd notions about things best characterized as black-helo CT stuff.

Granted, long term heavy alcohol use isn't so good for the intellect either, but it worries me a bit.
Click to expand...
The existence of amotivational syndrome is still not conclusive:

"Whether the amotivational syndrome exists or not is still controversial; there are still too few poorly controlled small studies that do not allow a definitive answer. Also, most people who use marijuana do not develop this syndrome."

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/your-brain-food/201411/amotivational-syndrome-and-marijuana-use

I suspect it tends to make lazy people even more lazy, while with others you never even know they smoke.
 
Binary_Digit said:
Human nature?

Or do you mean addictive personalities?

If it were human nature we'd all be meth heads after just a few backyard BBQs where beer is available.

If you think I'm wrong, please explain why you believe marijuana would act as any more of a gateway drug than, say, Jose Quervo.
Click to expand...

I think it's probably human nature. People use drugs--- including hard drugs--- for "recreation" all the time even when they aren't addicted.

Oh, it is--- just of a different kind.
 
Tigerace117 said:
I think it's probably human nature. People use drugs--- including hard drugs--- for "recreation" all the time even when they aren't addicted.
Click to expand...
I agree with that, but the question is whether or not smoking marijuana makes a person more compelled to use harder drugs. Not human nature by itself, but human nature on weed.

Tigerace117 said:
Oh, it is--- just of a different kind.
Click to expand...
You believe marijuana is more of a gateway drug than tequila? Can you explain why? And please try to exclude anything that is solely caused by its legal status?
 
Marijuana as a drug is not a gateway drug. Where a co-morbid diagnosis accompanies drug use, it often escalates to other mother powerful drug use.

You cant look at the casual use of marijuana in the same light as you would view psychological disorder and addiction.
 
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