“Marijuana, the gateway drug”
Nope, not really, not even close
Since Nancy Regan's war on drugs, I have heard the same ole rhetoric on this subject. The same old propaganda politicians and law enforcement leaders use to demonize, weaponize, and capitalize on cannabis. Their tired battle cry and the steady thump that cannabis is the ‘gateway drug’ to harder substances fall short of informed. I am no scientist or expert on the subject, but I offer the opinion that marijuana is not a gateway drug. It may be in the “chain” of drug addiction, but it is not the gateway.
The gateway drug is poverty. The gateway drug is a lack of opportunity. The gateway drug is living in a world with abundance but is out of reach for all but a few. The gateway drug is pain, real and psychological.
but for many…
Drugs are used as some form of “celebration.” Once homo-sapiens found the mushroom (Psilocybin), the die was cast. Humans experimented and became addicted to going sideways, upside down, and floating. It is doubtful we will ever give up that ability.
Homo-sapiens use drugs to celebrate and momentarily forget their dramas and consciousness—many use drugs for spiritual awakenings. No one can argue its medicinal attributes, including cannabis.
You don't see my logic? Maybe you were expecting some other substance and not a psychological construct, societal failing, or what some would label “an excuse”?
Ok, then here it is. The primary gateway substance to harder drugs is alcohol.
Gateways are not even the point, IMHO, but if you are going to label something a stepping stone to harder drugs, alcohol is it. Alcohol is always part of the drug experience or at least 99% of the time. There are cases when humans go straight to the drug and abstain from alcohol, but that is usually after a poor alcohol experience. The scene with Leslie Mann in “The 40-year-old Virgin” comes to mind.
The reality is that we are never going back to prohibition. We tried that and learned that humans, being organic, love chemicals and “hits” of things that change our state of mind. We will do almost anything to fulfill that desire, and for good reasons, I would argue. Regarding alcohol, it has been suggested that homo-sapiens would not even exist without beer and wine.
Why? Glad you asked.
If humans drank water as their main source of hydration during the dark ages, arguably, we would not be here. Streams and running rivers aside, when humans formed communities away from those sources, they had to store water, and nasty things live in still water. Death lives in stagnant water.
Here is the truth about taking drugs; some people can handle and manage these sedatives and mood enhancers, while others cannot. I think the people who have deeper struggles in life, the ones who can’t shed the abuse or unfairness they experience, are the ones who get trapped. Those are the ones who seek further escapes until they are lost.
Any friend that seems lost to you deserves your attention, not another hit, shot, or toot.
The rest of us manage our addictions just fine. Until we don't. My addiction is single malts and bourbons. I have a fairly nice collection from around the world and truly get into the whole experience. My ability to manage my addiction took many years to refine. Where I am today is a happy place, at least for now, but I know I am dealing with “poison,” so I developed some rules.
I never drink during the week or on Sunday. I monitor myself with the simple act of giving my loved ones the power to say to me, “no drinks tonight,” and I am obliged to agree. My significant other has tested me on this a few times. I then monitor my feelings, and if the lizard brain kicks in, like feelings of anger or victimhood, I know it's time for a “trip on the wagon.” Further, I am acutely aware of my tolerances to get to that happy place; basically, two drinks allow me to feel fine without the drink taking over my world.
Addiction is in our nature; I am fairly sure you are addicted to something that triggers the dopamine in your head. For my significant other, it’s ice cream, seriously. Everything can become addictive if it functions as forgetting, displacing, soothing, or procrastinating seeing the truth.
I watched my nephew the other day, and he was fixated on an online game called “the most dangerous road,” or something like that. The point of the game was to drive on the road, barely able to fit two vehicles on it. Sheer cliffs on either side and that is it; the game never stopped. He was fixated on that screen and was addicted to something it was serving in him. On a hunch, I asked him what happened to him that day, what had pissed him off. He stopped playing and told me what it was. A few minutes later, he seemed bored and stopped playing. We all went to dinner, and my sister-in-law called me a genius.
What is your addiction; gambling, coffee, drugs, shopping, gaming, alcohol, sports, working out, food, skydiving, work, plastic surgery?
The truth is that the cannabis plant is a gift to us from the earth. It solves so many ailments and could replace so many carbon-creating industries. It is a medicine, stimulant, textile source, pain-killer, food source, fuel source, creative instrument, mood enhancer, appetite inducer, etc. The only reason it is a schedule one drug is that industries see it as a competitor. They know they cannot compete with it, and really who could. It is a plant that can grow almost anywhere—free vs. commerce.
Things are changing but slowly, as we evolve further. Let us keep pushing for smart answers and solutions.
It is time to end the “war on drugs” and see the battle for what it is. A failing on our part to address all sorts of mental health events caused by the dramas of life. The war on drugs is the tool of oppressors to imprison certain groups and not others. The war on drugs is a major source of revenue for local, state, and federal governments in seizures, and they rely on it now. The war on drugs is killing so many innocent people worldwide, those forced to reconcile the violence the drug trade leaves in its wake. Finally, the failure to offer healthcare, even basic health care, which requires humans to self-medicate, is part of this “gateway.”
The gateway drug is greed.
In 2010 I tried to launch a T-shirt business that addressed the weaponized cannabis image. We designed some awesome t-shirts, at least in our minds. We tried to get it on Kickstarter; they declined due to its drug nature. We were attempting to launch a tee shirt business, LOL. The company name was Cannabis Erectus. Below are some of the designs — BBP
A word on “Tipping,” the new feature here on Medium- I have set mine up to go to Organizations fighting for Animals and Mother Earth- I change the link with every new story. Still, all tips will go to these charities doing what they can to save the mammal race.
