# Why is marijuana a "Gateway Drug"?



## BoogNBuds (Jan 28, 2014)

My opinion of why marijuana is gateway drug,
I am 20 years old and I live in Australia and as a child I was raised to believe the common misconception that marijuana is a gateway drug.

Some people may already be aware of these opinions or facts or have there own theories please post, this is a very basic description as It just covers the basics of my underlying theories 


[FONT=arial, sans-serif]It has all been carefully staged propaganda since it was made Illegal in the 30's, the 70's declared it a schedule one drug, which made it the safest schedule one drug for the population to try, thus brainwashing people to think it is a gateway drug, simply by categorizing it in the same category as Heroin, Methamphetamine.. etc but just enough stigma around marijuana to make the only people to try it would be people who are having problems at home or in life, so they turn to drugs which everyone knows is a great way to escape reality, The DEA and american government accidentally or purposely (you can never know what they are actually up to) made it a gateway drug because after they try marijuana ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS DRUGS APPARENTLY then sure whats the harm in trying cocaine or heroin? Just like I am sure if alcohol was still illegal it would be the biggest "Gateway Drug" of all time, I don't even consider taking cocaine or MDMA.(which is usually not MDMA and can even be known to have rat poison in the pills which it comes in), or the cocaine has been broken down with a synthetic drug or some other substance just as harmful) I don't even looking at these until I have had a drink of alcohol, one of the most mind altering addictive drugs of all time- that was a brief opinionated description of how marijuana got the stigma of being a gateway drug in the 70's.[/FONT]

[FONT=arial, sans-serif]I plan on making a video showing the positive effects of marijuana the positive effects of alcohol and the negatives for both[/FONT]

[FONT=arial, sans-serif]will be all real no fake shit and no biased opinions, will be fact (I plan on doing [/FONT][FONT=arial, sans-serif]activities at all different levels of intoxication, then going to a club with a camera and filming as much as I can,
[/FONT][FONT=arial, sans-serif]then the next week the exact same thing this time with all different levels of how high I am, I predict the camera work while high will be at least 167 times better, thank you. [/FONT]

I always like to leave my activist arguments with a statement along these lines,

Think about how many people have jobs because of marijuana being illegal
BIllions and Billions of dollars.


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## SnapsProvolone (Jan 28, 2014)

It opens a gateway to free thinking imo.


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## BoogNBuds (Jan 28, 2014)

I wrote this in 6 minutes off the top of my head including spell checks, which I did not check hard enough, and now I can't edit it haha


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## BoogNBuds (Jan 28, 2014)

SnapsProvolone said:


> It opens a gateway to free thinking imo.


100 percent agree, some people even go as far to say that is what started our free thinking in the beginning, before that we were just happy with the basics (build shelter, kill animal, write on rock, mate with opposite sex)

which I do believe could be possible and not as far fetched as some other people may believe.


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## Spanky84 (Jan 29, 2014)

Many of the guys I was smoking pot with when I was a 16 year old kid turned junkie. But the reason is not that marijuana changes you somehow and makes you take heroin. Most of it is purely caused by the prohibition. When you are very young and smoke pot, you lose trust and suport of the system. Your teachers, parrents, police, doctors, even "well behaved" peers become your enemy. You are forced to hang out in secluded places where hard drug users meet. You form social relations with junkies and drug dealers that will try to push heavy addictive shit on you. All in all, it's not marijuana's fault, it's often the fault of society that has pushed kids in the arms of drug dealers criminals and junkies.

Additionally, there are some people that are born with broken impulse controll/reward systems and will once they try psychoactive substances go binge. But those people will go binge on whatever they try. Often alcohol is the first step, sometimes marijuana as it is most available, but again, its not marijuana that changes them in a way that they go take heroin...


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## KushLyle (Jan 29, 2014)

Sad to say some of the people I know were examples of what others say when it comes to the gateway thing. We can only speak for ourselves and not for others.


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## donmagicjuan (Jan 29, 2014)

it all starts with junk food giving you a serotonin bump


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## donmagicjuan (Jan 29, 2014)

anything could be a gateway caffeine nic or alc could make u interested in changing ur mood as could anything chocolate ect


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## BoogNBuds (Jan 29, 2014)

Exactly, just that one release from reality, just enough to entice you to try something stronger and stronger.


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## BoogNBuds (Jan 29, 2014)

Good discussion guys, appreciate the feedback.


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## dangerlow (Jan 30, 2014)

Spanky84 said:


> Many of the guys I was smoking pot with when I was a 16 year old kid turned junkie. But the reason is not that marijuana changes you somehow and makes you take heroin. Most of it is purely caused by the prohibition. When you are very young and smoke pot, you lose trust and suport of the system. Your teachers, parrents, police, doctors, even "well behaved" peers become your enemy. You are forced to hang out in secluded places where hard drug users meet. You form social relations with junkies and drug dealers that will try to push heavy addictive shit on you. All in all, it's not marijuana's fault, it's often the fault of society that has pushed kids in the arms of drug dealers criminals and junkies.
> 
> Additionally, there are some people that are born with broken impulse controll/reward systems and will once they try psychoactive substances go binge. But those people will go binge on whatever they try. Often alcohol is the first step, sometimes marijuana as it is most available, but again, its not marijuana that changes them in a way that they go take heroin...


You nailed it on the head IMO.


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## twelvevolt (Jan 30, 2014)

It is an illegal drug that is not a hard drug. If it was harder, it would not be used so much let alone tested at a young age. It is one of, if not the most widespread available and used without any hint of serious consequence for the vast majority of people. It is most often the first illegal drug that someone that is new to drug use will try. It is pretty safe, doesn't give hangovers, can grow in dirt, is not that expensive.. If it never existed and there was a different plant that fit the bill, it would be seen as the gateway drug. If anything, it could be blamed for being so likeable as a first choice and there are always going to be people that like taking something to change their reality or thought. Going the other way, a small percentage of people will decide they want to try harder drugs so if you ask someone who has tried harder drugs they will most often have tried cannabis as one of the first or booze, but booze won't get that label because it is legal and so does not have such a "gateway" connotation to the cannabis free drinkers of the world.


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## BoogNBuds (Jan 30, 2014)

Real talk twelvevolt, I read through all your comment although I am to high right now and cannot type anymore wor...


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## Rob Roy (Feb 16, 2014)

Marijuana is a gateway drug, because when you smoke it, you forget to close the gateway and then the damn critters get out. Also because the government says it's a gateway and they would never lie about these things.


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## Dr.J20 (Feb 16, 2014)

gateway drug theory is a cum hoc fallacy.


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## ChesusRice (Feb 16, 2014)

I got drunk when I was 6 at a wedding

So I would say Weddings are a gateway drug


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## TheMystified420 (Feb 16, 2014)

I started with alcohol, so weed wasn't exactly the gateway drug for me. But the reason I ended up trying lsd and shrooms when I was younger was because weed isn't that strong, and I wanted to get really 'fucked up'. So for me, the gateway theory is that when people start with marijuana, they go to harder drugs looking for a stronger high. But that's just my 2 cents.


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## LIBERTYCHICKEN (Feb 17, 2014)

MJ is a gateway drug becouse it is illegal and introduces well meaning people to the illegal black market

Otherwise it's no more of a gateway drug than sugar


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## Nutes and Nugs (Feb 17, 2014)

It kind of like sex to me.
When you are young, checking out the tities and crothches.
You grow older and want a squeeze of those titties or finger around that bush.

Then one thing leads to another and you are having sex.

Some get bored with it and want more thrills.

I'm fine with just getting high anymore.


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## BoogNBuds (Mar 10, 2014)

ChesusRice said:


> I got drunk when I was 6 at a wedding
> 
> So I would say Weddings are a gateway drug



Interesting point, I like it.


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## BoogNBuds (Mar 10, 2014)

LIBERTYCHICKEN said:


> MJ is a gateway drug becouse it is illegal and introduces well meaning people to the illegal black market
> 
> Otherwise it's no more of a gateway drug than sugar


Yeah, like I said categorizing it with other illegal substances.


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## sonar (Mar 11, 2014)

The whole "gateway drug" concept isn't one supported by most in the psychological and psychiatric communities. The few studies that lean toward the idea of a gateway drug are based on corollary data, which any psychology major or any social science major, knows can't be used to determine causality. Meaning, even if it is in fact true that studies show teens and young adults who use marijuana have higher instances of hard drug use later in life, you can't say the marijuana necessarily _caused_ the individual to seek harder drugs. More than likely it would be the case that those teenagers, for whatever reason, have a propensity toward drug use. Years ago, I've read most of their studies a few years back when I was a student and I wasn't convinced then, nor am I convinced now. I can go on and on about this subect. There is enough information out there to teach a semester long course on it, but the governments in the English speaking countries for the most part still push this nonsense agenda.


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## TibetanBowl (Mar 11, 2014)

Rob Roy said:


> Marijuana is a gateway drug, because when you smoke it, you forget to close the gateway and then the damn critters get out. Also because the government says it's a gateway and they would never lie about these things.


"the marijuana worked, lets give him LSD next" - the guys in funny suites


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## TibetanBowl (Mar 11, 2014)

cant really say it's a gateway drug if you like it so much you don't wanna experiment with anything else


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## BoogNBuds (Mar 11, 2014)

True statement, falling into the psychological repetition of smoking weed. Like I see a lot of my friends because of weed, if I stopped smoking then I wouldn't see everyone because they would all still be getting high doing mad shit, and I'd be hating how bored I would be getting without weed, and only weed. I do not desire any other illegal substance.


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## AlGore (Mar 16, 2014)

This gateway logic is such bullshit. It falls apart when you extend it... 100% of herion junkies used water before trying heroin, so water must be a gateway drug, fucking idiots. 

I am 30 years old, I started smoking cannabis at 15. In high school I also tried coke, all kinda of pharmaceuticals, extacy(when there was real MDMA still on the market, shit kids get now, "molly", only 10% of it even contains any MDMA btw)

It was cannabis I preferred to anything else, so if it had any effect on me doing other drugs, it helped keep me away from them. I've used it daily for 15 years, even worked my ass off to get a very difficult degree, so I could obtain my dream job and move to Co or Ca and join the cannabis and MMJ community. My life has never been better, I smoke 10 different strains a day, dabs all night, all while writing code and developing video games to the tune of slightly over 6 figures a year.

Take your ingornace elsewhere please, and do some real research before spouting, "this is why I think it's a gateway drug". Meanwhile there are actual studies that prove it isn't.


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## TibetanBowl (Mar 18, 2014)

AlGore said:


> It was cannabis I preferred to anything else, so if it had any effect on me doing other drugs, it helped keep me away from them. I've used it daily for 15 years, even worked my ass off to get a very difficult degree, so I could obtain my dream job and move to Co or Ca and join the cannabis and MMJ community. My life has never been better, I smoke 10 different strains a day, dabs all night, all while writing code and developing video games to the tune of slightly over 6 figures a year.
> 
> Take your ingornace elsewhere please, and do some real research before spouting, "this is why I think it's a gateway drug". Meanwhile there are actual studies that prove it isn't.


LOL! i'd like to see these video games you speak of...


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## remyaz0 (May 16, 2014)

Like others have said its a gateway because it introduces you to a world where you can get other things.. 

But I think it also puts it in your head that "Hey, DARE, the police, the government are lying to me about pot.. So i might as well try these other things too..


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## killemsoftly (May 16, 2014)

you can engineer nearly anything if you want
the overlords want addiction: it is consumerism at it's worst/finest
ganj is a plant of peace and contentedness
it is, therefore, a threat
it is a gateway drug: to an alternative


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## mnixon (May 16, 2014)

like, if you really like it, you want more!


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## ayr0n (May 16, 2014)

100% because it is illegal and therefore associated with illegalities / people who are involved in illegal conduct. Legalized weed = no more gateway.


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## weed nerd113 (May 16, 2014)

if you had to buy cigarettes from a guy that also was selling crack at the same house cigarettes would be the gate way drug


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## bird mcbride (May 17, 2014)

And to "think", some idiot was paid with taxpayers dollars to write all this BS up...gateway drug. Where in the f*uck do they get this sh*t from. These people should really be "thinking" up shit for the Outer limits, The Twilight zone, etc.
I noticed the land lord had opened the hatch to go up on the roof. He must have been smoking mj.
Just keep putting out the BS. If the facts were printed there wouldn't be any doubts about the people who put out the propoganda crap.
The governments make their own problems.
Here's a fact. You can get exactly one gram of properly cured mj in one Zigzag cigarette paper


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## sygma (Jul 10, 2014)

I feel it may be a better exit drug than a gateway.

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## mrgreengrower (Aug 25, 2014)

Its a gate way drug to freedom. Corporate America will loose money, think of all the (legal) drugs that would become useless, the prisons wouldnt have half the people they have now and look at all the police dept. dea, most of those people would be out of jobs


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## mainliner (Aug 25, 2014)

BoogNBuds said:


> My opinion of why marijuana is gateway drug,
> I am 20 years old and I live in Australia and as a child I was raised to believe the common misconception that marijuana is a gateway drug.
> 
> Some people may already be aware of these opinions or facts or have there own theories please post, this is a very basic description as It just covers the basics of my underlying theories
> ...


 its your friends who r the gateway, and the trend and choice of drug at the time,,

what's extasy rave tablets a gateway to??


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## Dat Dank (Aug 27, 2014)




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## torontoke (Aug 28, 2014)

Marijuana is a gateway drug because it usually opens ones eyes to realize that the gate swings both ways and that the government are a bunch of nazis for ever keeping it from you.


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## overgrowem (Oct 12, 2014)

mnixon said:


> like, if you really like it, you want more!


A slogan aimed at the unthinking to justify locking up hippies so the pols. can throw a load of money to the justice system, and claim to be tough on crime so the same unthinking will reward them with their vote.


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## ayr0n (Oct 13, 2014)

mainliner said:


> its your friends who r the gateway, and the trend and choice of drug at the time,,
> 
> what's extasy rave tablets a gateway to??


dancing


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## Rayason (Oct 17, 2014)

Well my opinion is that it gets you more familiar with the underworld since it's illegal (atleast in my country) since if you find way to buy weed you will be able to find coke or any kind of pills lateron. Also you get familiar of getting "high". Before you got high the first time, the idea of smoking weed and getting high was taboo, SO snorting coke or injecting heroin would be a hell no for you. But when weed replaces tobacco(atleast in my experience) or becomes a habit and not a big deal, next step would be taking LSD/MDMA and so on.


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## torontoke (Oct 17, 2014)

I


Rayason said:


> Well my opinion is that it gets you more familiar with the underworld since it's illegal (atleast in my country) since if you find way to buy weed you will be able to find coke or any kind of pills lateron. Also you get familiar of getting "high". Before you got high the first time, the idea of smoking weed and getting high was taboo, SO snorting coke or injecting heroin would be a hell no for you. But when weed replaces tobacco(atleast in my experience) or becomes a habit and not a big deal, next step would be taking LSD/MDMA and so on.


Ive been smoking mj for 20years ive never once been tempted to try coke lsd or anything else.
Maybe if the taboo was off of something the numbers would go down because the curiousity factor goes down too. Every argument can go both ways not just in the direction an article or a video shows u.

Look it up since portugal and uraguay have decriminalized all drugs their numbers have actually come down!


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## Dave's Not Here (Mar 21, 2015)

Here's my theory on the subject, In ancient times cannabis was considered the *gateway to enlightenment*, in most mysticism including the bible the main characters are the hallucinogenic mushroom and the goddess cannabis, the virgin mary jane, venus. Sometimes Venus is portrayed as a hermaphroditic character another trait of the cannabis such as the Rebus in alchemy. The Statue of Liberty essentially symbolizes the Goddess, the cannabis holding up her torch of psychedelic fire/freedom. The 5 pointed star of Venus also symbolizes the marijuana. 

If you take what's called The First Degree Tracing Board of Freemasonry... Paradise/infinity 33 lies between the two pillars of EL and Ven (Saturn and Venus) 11, and on the ladder is the green goddess and she holds the key 13 to unlock the door to your mind.


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## Grandpapy (Mar 21, 2015)

Because,







....and pot wasn't always available.


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## bluto392 (Mar 21, 2015)

Unfortunately, some people are predisposed to addiction. Most people aren't. Natural selection is slowly whittling away the genes that make people more likely be addicted.

I drank like a fish and smoked cigs like a smokestack, and have walked away from each without even getting grouchy


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## freddfish (Mar 28, 2015)

bluto392 said:


> Unfortunately, some people are predisposed to addiction. Most people aren't. Natural selection is slowly whittling away the genes that make people more likely be addicted.
> 
> I drank like a fish and smoked cigs like a smokestack, and have walked away from each without even getting grouchy


Good that it worked out that way for you, bluto...but quitting smoking made me one grouchy SOB. I been off of them for 23 yrs now, but I still remember what a bitch quitting them was.

Some people ARE predisposed to addiction, too...you get 5-6 people sitting around doing coke? When it runs out, everyone goes to sleep......except for the one person who HAS to have more.

And will steal and hock the television to get it.....


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## BigNoobie (Jul 28, 2015)

freddfish said:


> Good that it worked out that way for you, bluto...but quitting smoking made me one grouchy SOB. I been off of them for 23 yrs now, but I still remember what a bitch quitting them was.
> 
> Some people ARE predisposed to addiction, too...you get 5-6 people sitting around doing coke? When it runs out, everyone goes to sleep......except for the one person who HAS to have more.
> 
> And will steal and hock the television to get it.....


For coke? Are you sure you don't mean crack or something harder? Stealing and stuff is not something commonly attributed in my parts with coke addiction. Still get ur point.

And the guy stayed up cuz he needs a joint to go to sleep. Lol



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## Thefarmer12 (Aug 4, 2015)

Most hard drug users have or do use Marijuana. On the flip side most marijuana users do not use hard drugs. It's the reverse that idiots use for their faulty gateway theory.


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## ChrisDuke (Aug 4, 2015)

The real gateway drug is alcohol. I tried weed, shrooms, coke, pills, and ecstasy while I was already drunk and at parties. If I was ever stoned I was just happy to be stoned, and maybe had a drink if offered. I think there is just a little bit of truth in weed being the gateway drug just because some dealers pittle in everything. It's like an upsell for them, a way to make some extra cash. One reason that I grow now is to not have to deal with the shadiness, not that's much wrong with anything in moderation. Except for meth...not even once! Haha


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