[HOOT]

Originally Posted by flamesfever

I see prostitution as a parallel to the marijuana industry. Organized crime is involved. Underage people are affected. Soft and hard drugs are associated etc. By and large it has been controlled by using the same methods used to control marijuana i.e. prosecute the users as well as the dealers. I believe there are many people who refrain from marijuana because of the fear of being caught, just the same as the people who would otherwise use prostitutes.

I'm not going to get into the legalization of prostitution because that is another debate. However you are right in saying they are very similar. They are similar in the fact that we let criminals dictate the rules and profits around it. Maybe there would be less abuse or murders of women working the street if they felt that they had someone to turn to, not turn to someone who is going to arrest them. Or what can be even worse ignore and don't help them because of their lifestyle.

Making pot legal would be a first step in making hallucinogens legal. And although pot is one of the mildest of the group, I fear it may lead to the gradual, step by step, increase in use of many of the more harmful drugs. e.g. cocaine, amphetamines, etc.

If that was the case then making marijuana legal should be easy since we already allow people to use other, actually lethal drugs, every day in alcohol, tobacco, caffeine, pharmaceuticals. Not only that but there would not be the same type of movement.

Nearly 50% of all Canadian's have tried marijuana in their life. For drugs like cocaine, crack, speed, meth, hallucinogens, LSD, etc. are a combined 3-4% of Canadian who have used in the last year according to Health Canada.

How many legalize cocaine or meth movements have you heard of in the last decade like you have like marijuana?

I believe studies have shown that the highest users of marijuana have a much greater risk of using the harder drugs, in order to achieve the higher highs.

I would love to see that study because any stats I have seen show the opposite. In Canada they say 1 in 101 marijuana users use cocaine, and 1 in 104 use heroin. A study done in the Netherlands just a few years ago showed that 75% of people who say they have done marijuana have never done another drug, let alone do them regularly.

The gateway theory doesn't exist and the true gateway drugs are tobacco and alcohol, not marijuana. Most people get their hands on tobacco or alcohol before they get into marijuana or even the harder drugs.

Speaking from personal experience the only drugs I currently do are alcohol (rarely, although more lately) and marijuana. I've never touched cocaine, meth, crack, etc. My experience is very similar to most people I know where other drugs were done before marijuana. For me it went tobacco(12), alcohol(15), shrooms(17), ecstasy(18) then marijuana(19). I've done no other drugs in my life, I don't even take pharmaceuticals anymore because of the way they make me feel.

Now with most of my friends they did cocaine somewhere in there and most were before marijuana, usually the ecstasy stage. And the real kicker is (as I mentioned to you via PM) I've had access to marijuana my whole life, basically since I was born it's been around, but never had the urge to jump in and do it. I made my choice for my body and a lot of that had to do with the lies about marijuana. e.g. gateway, addiction, brain damage, lung cancer, etc.

It seems as soon as any substance or activity, that take advantage of the weakness in people, is legally commercialized on a large scale eg. cigarettes, alcohol, gambling etc. that some segment of society pays the price. Shouldn't we draw the line at the number of things?

A segment of the society is paying for it right now. Most marijuana users aren't drug addicted criminals, they are your average person looking for some enjoyment like you might with a 6 pack of beer or a bottle of vodka. The difference is the activity I choose to replace alcohol with can get me put in jail and/or criminal record of sorts.

When someone is doing something that is hurting no one the line should be drawn by that individual, not the government. If marijuana turns me into some drug addict who steals then I should be put in jail for stealing, not using a drug 99.9% of people can use without issue.