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In Reply to: for your learning pleasure posted by lydia on August 21, 2002 at 13:28:04:
To say "adolescents who smoke weed are 85 times more likely to use cocaine than those who do not", neglects to demonstrate the fact that 99% of pot smokers never try cocain. To add "and they are more prone to violent behavior and to suicide" in one sentence is just pure alarmist bullshit to say Marijuana = suicide.
Did you know that most serial killers are religious in some way? So I could use that fact and say kids who read the bible are 85 times more likely to become serial killers. It's a distortion of the facts, ma'am. Do some research!
This information was from a biased conservative anti-drug source. Try reading from other sources and you will hear the other side to the story. I hate such alarmist bullshit like what you posted. Check your sources instead of passing along fake information.
Regarding the Netherlands vs USA, while teenage use of pot declined in the USA, usage in other age groups rose. Use of hard drugs were on the increase. The Netherlands experienced an increase relative to the visiting and growing population of tourists and expatriates. 250% increase is a wrong figure. Raising the legal age for coffee shops had to do with pressure from the EU. The "pot dens" are not pot dens. Have you even been to Amsterdam? They are cosy charming coffee shops with nice people. And you can buy coffee there, or booze, or joints.
Regarding THC, there is a difference between hash which contains concentrates and high oil content, and marijuana with low oil content and other natural enzymes which help the body process the THC quicker. Your report makes no differentiation or mention there. If you use bay leaves, you don't get an overdose of aspirin or side effects from regular use of aspirin, do you? But that's where you get your aspirin from.
If you make soft and hard drugs equally illegal, you raise significantly the chances of some kid going to buy a joint and being introduced to heroin because the pusher says he's out of Marijuana. The same criminal elements dealing Marijuana will deal with heroin. Studies have shown that if you decriminalize Marijuana and you'll get less heroin junkies, you'll get less theft and buglaries, less money launderers, less gangs, less prostitution. That is something else your biased report fails to mention.
