Marijuana is its own special category, but club drugs (which for some reason include date rape drugs), inhalants and steroids are all in a “miscellaneous” category together?

Also, note all the ridiculous drug propaganda lies.

  • HelixDab2English
    48·
    2 months ago

    The question is whether Marijuana use in and of itself encourages or preface additional drug use.

    I would argue that in many ways it does. Marijuana is–or was–illegal. Alcohol is legal, but age restricted. If you are willing to use a substance that is (was) entirely illegal, you are more likely going to be willing to try other drugs that are legitimately addictive, because you’ve already crossed one of the major hurdles. If alcohol had been illegal for the same amount of time that marijuana had been, then I would agree that alcohol was likely a gateway drug as well.

    I’m in favor of de-scheduling marijuana entirely. But I think that it’s disingenuous for people to act as though there weren’t serious problems with chronic and underage marijuana use.

    • IzzyScissor@lemmy.worldEnglish
      6·
      2 months ago

      You’re saying that it has nothing to do with marijuana itself that make it a gateway drug, only that we’ve made it illegal.

      That means anything we make illegal is a ‘gateway X’.

    • HopingForBetter@lemmy.todayEnglish
      62·
      2 months ago

      After a quick search through us history, alcohol was banned around 1920 and lasted for about 13 years. The marijuana ban that we all know of happened, get this, in 1970, and states began pushing back only 3 years after. So, alcohol was banned far longer than marijuana. The d.a.r.e. campaigns and other propoganda coupled with the inability to do scientific studies on the drug created the mass panic. There were not serious problems, other than some politician needing a platform.

      • HelixDab2English
        5·
        2 months ago

        So, alcohol was banned far longer than marijuana.

        …What? The 1970s were 50 years ago. And marijuana was illegal long before it was classified as a schedule 1 drug under the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970.

        • HopingForBetter@lemmy.todayEnglish
          35·
          2 months ago

          You’re going to have to provide some source for it being illegal. Arguably, it was contentious in the 30s, but the first official ruling was 1970.

          It also seems like you don’t understand that it being banned 50 years ago is not the same as it being banned for 50 years.

          It was banned in 1970, but 3 years after, states pushed back.

          Alcohol was banned in 1920, and 13 years later, it was unbanned.

          You are coming across as very emotional about this, but you are showing how little you have researched. I don’t have time to bring you up to speed if you are only going to keep your fingers in your ears while you shut your eyes and scream how right you are.

          Have a good day.

          • HelixDab2English
            21·
            2 months ago

            It also seems like you don’t understand that it being banned 50 years ago is not the same as it being banned for 50 years.

            Dude, it is literally illegal at the federal level at this very moment. If you use marijuana, and you buy a firearm, you are a felon. The ban may not be fully enforced in some states right now, but the feds can, at any moment, and on a whim, go into California and Colorado and arrest every single person working at a dispensary and charge them under federal drug trafficking laws, and send every single one of them to prison for life.

            I would ask what you’re on, but I’m pretty sure I can guess.

          • Dasus@lemmy.worldEnglish
            1·
            2 months ago

            It was banned in 1970

            You are coming across as very emotional about this, but you are showing how little you have researched.

            Ironic.

            1951-56:

            Stricter Sentencing Laws

            Enactment of federal laws (Boggs Act, 1952; Narcotics Control Act, 1956) which set mandatory sentences for drug-related offenses, including marijuana.

            A first-offense marijuana possession carried a minimum sentence of 2-10 years with a fine of up to $20,000.

            https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/dope/etc/cron.html#:~:text=Enactment of federal laws (Boggs,fine%20of%20up%20to%20%2420%2C000.

            Alcohol was banned in 1920, and 13 years later, it was unbanned.

            The prohibition was protested long before it was finally repealed.

            Uneven enforcement and the continued circulation of illegal alcohol led to widespread lawbreaking, corruption, and a nationwide backlash. Opposition to Prohibition by elected officials and grassroots organizations in New York, including Governor Al Smith, Congressman Fiorello La Guardia, and the Manhattan-based Women’s Organization for National Prohibition Reform (WONPR), increased throughout the 1920s.

            https://www.mcny.org/exhibition/protesting-prohibition

            • HopingForBetter@lemmy.todayEnglish
              11·
              2 months ago

              You do realize that your providing sources for someone else who didn’t doesn’t make them less emotional, nor my original post “ironic” for not knowing your sources.

              I stand by my original post, which was a cursory google search of us history.

              Thanks for providing sources.

              However, my ultimate point that it was never a gateway drug and bans were consistently protested remains.

              Is your point that I’m wrong for not knowing everything because I said “Here’s what I found, stop being emotional and show me what you found.”?

              Good day.

              • Dasus@lemmy.worldEnglish
                1·
                2 months ago

                I stand by my original post, which was a cursory google search of us history.

                It wasn’t, or you’re horrible at it.

                “when was weed made illegal” produces

                https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_history_of_cannabis_in_the_United_States

                This

                Which opens with

                In the United States, increased restrictions and labeling of cannabis (legal term marijuana or marihuana) as a poison began in many states from 1906 onward, and outright prohibitions began in the 1920s. By the mid-1930s cannabis was regulated as a drug in every state, including 35 states that adopted the Uniform State Narcotic Drug Act.[1] The first national regulation was the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937.[2]

                Which indeed makes your attempt to mock someone for poor research / knowledge very ironic indeed

    • Dasus@lemmy.worldEnglish
      31·
      2 months ago

      If you are willing to use a substance that is (was) entirely illegal, you are more likely going to be willing to try other drugs that are legitimately addictive, because you’ve already crossed one of the major hurdle

      It’s honestly rather ludicrous to still see 60’s propaganda being parroted. You’re on the internet, dude. There’s no need for you to be that ignorant.