I thought we were past this kind of nonsense

Mescaline is hardly the drug of "fuckups". Also, Thanatos, shut the fuck up hypocrite.

How am I a hypocrite? All I do is smoke weed. I've dabbled around in various drugs before and I've realized that's not for me. From Spector's posts, it sounds like he's into all drugs known to man and he's consumed by them. That is what I meant by fuckup.

I don't believe weed is a gateway drug, either. Why?

It's because marijuana is the first drug that people try. Why? Because it's so easy to get and everybody does it. People don't think, "Hey.. I wanna see what drugs are like. Lemme pick up a crack pipe." No, they try weed because their best friend is smoking it.

I would agree with that Thanatos. I think I'm living proof, as that's pretty much how it went for me.

It was just the first drug I tried, because it was the easiest to get my hands on and it was the tamest shit I could do.

Yeah, same here. I'd be willing to bet that 90% of drug user's first drug was weed, just for the sheer fact that millions of teenagers smoke it and it's readily available.

The problem is, the same kind of people who did this research would look at that 90% and say that marijuana causes people to do harder drugs. They feed off of falacies.

The problem is, the same kind of people who did this research would look at that 90% and say that marijuana causes people to do harder drugs. They feed off of falacies.

Is there not a strong correlation between the two? If some of those harder drug users had never been exposed to marijuana would they have still gotten into those harder drugs? If the answer is no, then don't the answers to the previous two questions suggest some form of causation?

What they are saying is pretty much the same as saying 100% of drunk driving accidents are done by people who drive a vehicle, so vehicles are the cause of drunk driving accidents.

What they are saying is pretty much the same as saying 100% of drunk driving accidents are done by people who drive a vehicle, so vehicles are the cause of drunk driving accidents.

The analogy is specious. A vehicle is a requirement in order to have an accident whether you are drunk or not. It is not a variable that is being tested. On the other hand, smoking marijuana at some time is not a requirement for being addicted to harder drugs. It is the variable that is tested. The results, however uncomfortable they may make you, incontrovertibly suggest that marijuana can be, and is a gateway drug for many people. The disparity is not slight, it's enormous.

ok I'm not a smoker myself, but most of my family is and I think that story is crap, no offence intended to anyone

Marijuana = my favorite houseplant.