I think the US makes more money because of the fines with Marijuana :P

opposed to it being legal.. perhaps.. or perhaps they would tax the hell out of it

Worst argument I've ever heard, and believe me, I've heard a lot.

There is no such thing as a gateway drug.  Yes, there is a correlation between people who try weed and people who try "harder" drugs like cocaine and heroin.  That's because there is a correlation between people who are willing to break the law to get high (with weed) and people who are willing to break the law to get high (with cocaine and heroin).  Your two friends, your ex girlfriend, and your friend who went to jail have nothing and no one to blame but themselves for their addictions.  Weed did not force them to pick up other drug habits, they willingly chose to do so.

@ikilledkenny, yes, marijuana is called the gateway drug for a reason.  The reason is to try to scare kids away from trying it and perpetuate the war on drugs through fear.

@anyone who's wondering, I have never used illegal drugs.  I do brew my own beer, though. 

 Yep. You're on point and that made sense.

 It's very addictive and can be pretty dangerous as far as ODing goes. I've had 2 family members go to rehab for it, and a lot of people in my town have either done it or are addicted. I suppose even heroin could be done safely in extreme moderation, but many times people don't treat it with the level of caution they should.

 Just in case anyone's wondering, they did a study recently about the harmfulness of drugs. I think they took into consideration things like physical, mental, and societal harm and came up with a rating system.

And another one with the toxicity levels of each in terms of how much you have to take to feel an effect compared to how much you have to take for a fatal overdose. 

I really dont give a shit but I guarrentee you crack is just as bad when shot up.

Yeah, crack and cocaine are basically the same thing too. Shooting anything up is seriously dumb and increases the chance of ODing by A LOT.

Wow, I sound like a drug addict all of a sudden :(

please ppl if you do any hard drugs please try and get help if you cant stop...

Life is hard as it is already.. you dont need something else holding you back.

Night fellas.



Back to original topic.

JUST BLAZE!!!!!!!!

 What was the source for those charts? By your reckoning there must be a lot of people in your town who are not very adept at exercising "personal responsibility".

Politics, nothing says boring like politics.

I personally do not like drug usage that is not for constructive purposes. And there are no two ways about it. Do not try to spin my words.

Marajuana is a gateway drug. It and alcohol are both gateway drugs. What? There cannot be TWO gateway drugs? I have never had alcohol in my life, but I was addicted to cocaine for two years. How did I start? You guessed it.

My point is, people are stupid. Drugs can make someone stupid, and so can being sober. I have seen it all and I can say that at this stage in my life, I could care less. Decadence is a part of human nature and somehow, mother nature will find a way to weed it back to balance. Thee unfortunate fact is that many, many innocent people have to suffer and die before that balance is restored.

Take sex for instance, it becomes too decadent so disease is unleashed. The decadent sex slows back to a balance. Thus, the cycle will continue. Just leave the politics aside and make personal choices that best suit you. My best choice is not taking drugs. My brother, however, cannot take a shower in the morning without smoking weed first. His decisions are his own and I still love him. My decisions are my own and he still loves me.

Can we just focus on being positive and not trying to make excuses to fight with one another?

First chart: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/5230006.stm

PDF of original study:  http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmselect/cmsctech/1031/1031.pdf

Second chart: http://www.americanscientist.org/template/AssetDetail/assetid/50773?&print=yes#50979

Unfortunately a lot of people aren't very good at moderation lol That's why there's 300 lb people eating at McDonald's every day. Or using every free moment to play MMOs. Or contantly having sex/looking at porn. People abuse a lot of things besides drugs, but none of them have as much stigma attached.

Sorry if I'm derailing the thread a bit. I'm not trying to advocate the use of drugs or anything. Just stating some facts.