Unlike some of you "experts" who seem to trust every source outside yourselves, I will post for you my own experiences.
Marijuana is a gateway drug
Not for me it wasn\'t. Started smoking 2-3 Js a month at 21, was up to 2-3 Js a week by 22. Back down to 2-3 Js a month at 23, and now I\'m down to 1-2 Js in a year (I haven\'t smoked since... November sometime).
Marijuana is a health risk
True. Absolutely true. People tend to smoke it unfiltered (although many use filtering systems like a water bong if they are very habitual), and they are getting carcinogens from smoking a plant. But you know what? Nicoteen is processed with harsh chemicals, and is smoked far, far more frequently. Alchohol brings with it a plethora of health issues, and it\'s legal too. Driving excessively fast kills more people than marijuana, and is illegal, but something almost everyone does. Moderation is the name of the game.
If they legalize weed, they must legalize other drugs
Nope. In moderation, marijuana is accompanied by many of the symptoms/effects of drinking. If it were controlled, it would end up in the same boat as drinking. There would be people who abuse it, causing themselves health and social problems. There would be people who would drive high, just like with alchohol. Issues like these don\'t mean the substance cannot be used, it just means these issues need to be addressed. All these issues could be taken care of with simmilar programs to AA and anti-smoking progams, tests are/have been developed to measure THC so that driving under the influence could be more easily identified. The advantage to controlling it would be a huge revenue source for the government, which could go towards social programs, education, law enforcement etc. - which would at the same time remove a source of revenue from drug dealers and other less savoury individuals. They could also control the quality of the marijuana and ensure it\'s purity.
In closing:
I\'ve never driven high. I\'ve never driven drunk. I\'ve never been high in public. I\'ve never caused myself health or social problems through smoking. Drinking for me was more harmfull, as it was a much more costly form of entertainment, and I didn\'t necessarily have the 20-40 bucks a night it takes to go out drinking/clubbing. I smoke cigars, drink alchohol (nothing hard, only beer, and only in moderation), and I used to smoke marijuana. I am in university with a good average, have a good job, and am hoping to enter the law enforcement field in a few years (something that my experiences I believe make me more qualified/ready to do).
