Look How the Liberal Drug Culture has Destroyed Eureka, California

**Beezer** · 05-11-2018, 02:09 PM

Teenagers drinking is a WHOLE other conversation.

Not legal age to buy it. Where are they getting it.

They are young, can't handle their liquor, peer pressure, doing what their friends are doing.

They are not mature, make bad decisions.

Group drinking and parties out of control...it's a disaster and yes, they are going to die from that situation. Matter of time.

Except now...at their drinking parties there are also some very bad, bad drugs going around these days too.

These drugs are way worse than 20 - 30 years ago what they are exposed to then.

**JohnDoe2** · 05-11-2018, 02:12 PM

New Study Confirms The Real Gateway Drug Is Alcohol, Not Weed

CULTURE

Despite information from the past, cannabis is not the gateway drug we need to worry about.
DEE GIZNIK

AUG 25, 2017

Photo credit

Since the days of Reefer Madness, cannabis has gained an unfair reputation for being the gateway drug. Much of the anti-cannabis propaganda we see today is still based on the completely inaccurate fear that using cannabis will cause consumers to seek out harsher drugs for a stronger high. Newly released information is proving cannabis isn’t the issue, but a much more accessible, legal substance might hold real cause for concern.

Gaining control

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During the 1930’s and 40’s, the United States began running fear campaigns outlining the dangers associated with cannabis use. Insanity, dependency, and laziness were all said to result from just one, single puff.

Anti-cannabis crusaders also warned that using cannabis would lead consumers to use even harsher drugs, like cocaine or heroin, in a desperate attempt to chase the high. They labeled cannabis as the gateway drug to all other drugs.

These scare tactics resulted in entire generations living in fear of what might happen if their son or daughter ever became exposed to the horrendous plant, all the while pouring glass after glass of wine or liquor to calm their frazzled nerves.

While today’s population is more informed than ever, there are still those hypocrites who exist and claim cannabis is the dangerous plant portrayed in Reefer Madness, while using alcohol or tobacco on a daily basis.

New research proves that cannabis is not the gateway drug, despite the mindset of many anti-cannabis organizations. However, a much more accessible substance has been named as the true gateway drug and it carries a much higher rate of dependency.

Bottoms up

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Researchers at the University of Florida studied drug use data from 14,577 American high school seniors from 120 schools. One author of the study, Adam E. Barry, said the goal of the research was to correct the misinformation about cannabis that so many people still believe.

Some of these earlier iterations needed to be fleshed out, that’s why we wanted to study this. The latest form of the gateway theory is that it begins with cannabis and moves on finally to what laypeople often call ‘harder drugs’.

Despite the latest theory, researchers found that alcohol proved to be the true gateway drug, with 72.2% of those polled admitting to using alcohol at least once, while 45% reported using tobacco and 43.3% reported cannabis use.

Those high school seniors who used alcohol were “13 times more likely to use cigarettes, 16 times more likely to use marijuana and other narcotics, and 13 times more likely to use cocaine”. Barry says the research proved the gateway theory true, but not for cannabis.

As you can see from the findings of our study, it confirmed this gateway hypothesis, but it follows progression from licit substances, specifically alcohol, and moves on to illicit substances.

According to the study’s findings, American schools should spend a greater amount of time educating about the dangers of drinking, rather than focusing on anti-cannabis tactics, assuming that will decrease the use of all other substances.

The findings from this investigation support that alcohol should receive primary attention in school-based substance abuse prevention programming, as the use of other substances could be impacted by delaying or preventing alcohol use.

Therefore, it seems prudent for school and public health officials to focus prevention efforts, policies, and monies, on addressing adolescent alcohol use.

https://herb.co/marijuana/news/gatew...cohol-not-weed

**Judy** · 05-11-2018, 02:23 PM

Originally Posted by Beezer

Which is why I do not advocate legalizing it. You do not know anything about it.

I do. Go smoke some pot at a couple parties, then see who pulls out the meth, the coke, the heroin, the other stuff. ALL related. Where do you think all this pot comes from? Grandma's house? Even legalizing it...the scum of society will still be selling it and the other drugs.

Some people can get high, outgrow it and move on. Millions do not...they go on to other drugs. It is worse now than ever before. Our population has doubled, our roads are overcrowded. This cannot happen.

Used to be you could drink and drive in the 60's - 70's...roads were less crowded, less accidents. Who knows how the hell they got home in one piece. Not so much anymore. We have more drunk driving illegal aliens than US citizens driving drunk. We know we can't drink and drive anymore, we take a cab or Uber. We pay massive fines, lose our license, high car insurance or lose our jobs. Times have changed. Illegal aliens get away with and WALK away!

Just look at the millions of homeless on drugs living in the streets, don't work. Starts with pot and goes on from there. I do not want millions more drug addicts loitering our streets.

I think you mean well, but looking through tunnel vision. Only looking on the side of cops busting people and costs involved. As far as busting black people, well, what is the rest of their history of crimes? Many of these areas they are busted are full of crime, gangs and drugs. Generations of poverty and criminal records. They are not telling the truth...not just innocently smoking a joint, I can guarantee you that.

White people are busted too, you get caught, you have a record...then you go to jail.

You get caught with less than an ounce...you get a fine.

More to the big picture of just legalizing it so nice people can smoke a joint without getting hassled.

This will cost this country MORE than what it costs cops to bust someone.

All these rotten politicians see are big $$$$ to fill their coffers for their pet projects. That is ALL. They are not seeing the unintended consequences of this, especially in a country this big. Money that they will WASTE and then we are left footing the bill for all the mess this will cause. Whatever these rotten politicians get in revenue...WE will be paying out 4 times that in rehab, addiction, crime, auto accidents, workplace accidents, the list is long.

They may smoke pot in Amsterdam...but they are a speck of sand compared to the population of our country.

NO THANK YOU!

Dear Beezer, I don't care. I know that sounds harsh from your viewpoint of wanting to help Americans stay drug-free, but it hasn't worked, it won't work, and I'm tired of ruining people's lives through the .... "law". If someone uses drugs and ruins their lives themselves, it's sad, it's tragic, but that's the way it is. But when we as a nation try to force them by using the power of the law to change a behavior, the "cure" is worse than their use of the drugs. These drugs have been illegal in many states including California which was the first state to pass an anti-cannibis law since 1913. The feds then got involved. Nothing has changed, it's the same or worse. On top of the harm of drug use, is the harm of enforcing laws trying to prevent it. I don't want to lock someone up for using pot or selling domestic grown and processed pot. I support regulations, age restrictions, content and quality standards and taxes on them, same as other products sold in the US.

We'll just have to agree to disagree on this one. I don't use any drugs because the idea of it doesn't appeal to me. It's not because I'm better than someone else who does. I just prefer cigarettes, coffee and enjoy alcohol once in awhile. Those are my choices. If someone else prefers to smoke a joint, I'm perfectly fine with that. We have 330 million people in our country and according to every study I've read, somewhere around 20 to 21 million people used pot at least once within the last month preceding the study. Far less than that use harder recreational drugs. Meanwhile prescription opioid drug use has quadrupled since 1999, which has created true physical addiction and led to deep and hard dependency that once they're cut off of the prescriptions or can no longer afford them causes them to turn to illegal heroin and fentanyl.

I love you Beezer and truly respect your opinions and views on so many issues, but on this one, we just have a different take on it. Mine is not personal, mine is just logic and what I think is a proper role of government.

105 years of a War on Weed didn't change a thing. All it did was provide protection for an illegal drug trade and illegal immigration to run and operate it and ruined the lives of tens of millions of Americans with arrest records, charges, and incarcerations in our little land of liberty that's cost taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars over the years. To me this is a HUGE FAIL and needs to stop as soon as possible.

I believe this travesty against pot users will soon be over and rightly so, (in my opinion).

For the children, it's still illegal to sell to minors. For the parents worried about their kids, they're your kids, you raise 'em, it's your job to know where they are, who they are with and what they are doing.

**jtdc** · 05-11-2018, 03:20 PM

Originally Posted by Judy

The difference between using marijuana and abusing alcohol, food and going to the doctor is pot won't kill you.

Oh, please! Drinking alcohol won't kill you, its the car crash or other accident that does you in, not to mention the other sober people you take with you!

**Judy** · 05-11-2018, 03:24 PM

Originally Posted by jtdc

Oh, please! Drinking alcohol won't kill you, its the car crash or other accident that does you in, not to mention the other sober people you take with you!

Aaah, so you've never heard of alcoholics dying from cirrhosis of the liver, the leading cause is chronic alcoholism.

**jtdc** · 05-11-2018, 03:27 PM

Originally Posted by Beezer

Teenagers drinking is a WHOLE other conversation.

Not necessarily. Many drink to escape their problems. Some drink to boost their confidence. These are both the result of mental deficits. And any drug that takes us away from reality can be attractive to some. And that escape becomes an addiction.

**Judy** · 05-11-2018, 03:30 PM

Originally Posted by Beezer

Teenagers drinking is a WHOLE other conversation.

Not legal age to buy it. Where are they getting it.

They are young, can't handle their liquor, peer pressure, doing what their friends are doing.

They are not mature, make bad decisions.

Group drinking and parties out of control...it's a disaster and yes, they are going to die from that situation. Matter of time.

Except now...at their drinking parties there are also some very bad, bad drugs going around these days too.

These drugs are way worse than 20 - 30 years ago what they are exposed to then.

Yes, these drugs going around are illegal drugs, sold on the streets by foreign drug cartels, without any regulation of any kind. In the US we don't even sell milk without regulation but illegal dangerous drugs are everywhere. Like I said, the War on Drugs is a HUGE FAIL.

**jtdc** · 05-11-2018, 03:31 PM

Originally Posted by JohnDoe2

New Study Confirms The Real Gateway Drug Is Alcohol, Not Weed

Just wait until pot is as legally available as is alcohol.

**Judy** · 05-11-2018, 03:32 PM