I get what you're saying and it's true, weed can be a gateway drug for many, that's how it started for my cousins, who then both moved on to heroin and cocaine. Both are now in prison for it. I have tried it a couple of times but never on a regular basis because I know I have an addictive personality. Better to avoid it than to have it take over my life.

#17 Sorry, but there's no scientific evidence anywhere to support weed being a gateway drug. Out of all illegal drugs it IS the one most people have tried at least once, but it is as addictive as alcohol is (if not less) and in the vast majority of cases, people try it once and never again in their lives (unlike alcohol/cigarettes, where people tend to go back to it or even stay on it for life). Every drug has positives and negatives, even caffeine, but if I had to choose I would definitely prefer my kid be smoking weed over cigarettes (I'd personally prefer them smoke neither). Looking at worst-case scenarios of both drugs, I'd rather my kid be on the wrong side of the law (with something like weed, I wouldn't expect much worse than a nasty fine unless you're distributing it) than wind up in hospital with stage 4 cancer sometime down the road.

Accually tobacco is the biggest gateway drug. Tobacco smokers are 4x as likely to try hard drugs as compared to pot smokers

So are you saying weed is good or that alcohol and cigarettes are bad? Downing one does not justify the other.. Also if you need weed to focus you might want to consult a doctor that sounds like an issue

Stupid argument, people take caffeine as well to increase focus they don't NEED it, it just helps. Never seen a good argument against weed on this site, just a bunch of sheltered, "don't do it cause its illegal!" tards. And no, I don't smoke and I don't plan on it.

I have ADHD and smoke so I can learn shit at college :) it's the only way I've been passing the last 4 years

OP is in the United Kingdom.

I'm unaware, is it legal there?

No, it's illegal in the UK

then smoking from a bong or Pipe, wouldn't be directly? I don't see how smoking weed opens you up to the same risks as cigarettes since they put so many chemicals in with the tobacco and it's harder to do that with weed...

Weed that's grown today isn't the same as weed that was grown back in the 60s or 70s. You also have to consider that with more states legalizing it then it's becoming big business and it's turning into a farm raised product. Chemicals are used in the growing process as fertilizer and for bug control. I'm sure someone will come up with an "organic" weed that limits the use of chemicals but they are there. Some people do add chemicals to it to enhance the high also. I'm not saying this to discredit dope, I believe it should be legal, but, in my opinion, the true hypocrisy is constantly comparing dope to tobacco and making tobacco out to be an evil and weed to be a saint. That is simply not true, both have legitimate risks associated with their use. As I stated in my earlier posting, it is an adult drug that needs to be used only by responsible adults.

No reason to down vote you hit the nail right on the head

Seriously? 1 there is no scientific evidence that dope causes cancer, and there have been studies done, infact the purified form of the active ingredient is being tested as cancer treatment drug. 2 it's a plant not a chemical we may be able to change it properties a bit but it not like 70s dope was that much different, might have been less potient but it was no safer. 3 cigarettes might not impure your reaction times but alcohol sure does and we've found ways of using that safely. 4 you would seriously stop a 17 year old from have ONE beer?

Yes I would seriously stop a child of mine from drinking a beer and if you wouldn't then that's your choice. Maybe that's part of what's wrong with the world today is that too many parents do not put limitations on their children. The topic wasn't about alcohol, it was about dope vs tobacco. Everyone knows that alcohol is worse than dope as far as the effects I has on people when abused. As far as the "plant" issue you bring up, tobacco is a plant too. Back when the Indians used it and traded with it, it wasn't so bad. However, after years of mass production to meet the needs of the consumer, the manufacturing process of the plant changed. As it will, and has in the past several decades, with dope. Finally, I don't know where you get that marijuana is a "treatment" for cancer. It is not. It has been found to assist with pain and to help give people on chemotherapy an appetite but it is not a treatment. It does have some analgesic effects, which is something I hope we explore more. But as far as a "treatment", no, you're way wrong there. The true value in cannabis isn't in the smoking of it or it's medicinal uses, it's in the widespread use of the hemp plant. Unfortunately, so many people are caught up in wanting to defend marijuana because they want to smoke and get high. Everything else becomes evil and dope becomes this saint.

It certainly is a chemical. Everything is made of chemicals. I am for legalization but some of these arguments really need some work. As Tazmanmike pointed out, tobacco is also a plant. Cyanide is also a naturally occurring compound found in many plants. The fact that it is a plant means almost nothing in regard to safety.

This right here is perfect. I personally know so many people that smoke dope every single day but swear up and down that it hasn't effected their memory, thinking, reaction time or motor skills at all even though they've been smoking it for years. You try to tell them it's bad for their lungs and they immediately launch into "it's a healing herb" mode and basically think it's this magical healing plant that doesn't hurt you at all, isn't the least bit bad for you. It is absolutely maddening.

They have been testing high purity THC injections as a tumor treatment look it up. Because THC has tumor reducing qualities. I'm not saying that the same as smoking it certainly isn't but as far as I'm aware nicotine isn't used to treat anything. And where I'm from a 17year old could be just days from being legal drinking age and I'd rather my children learned to handle there drinking in front of me rather then at some strangers house.

Homegrown doesn't hurt people, but if you buy it or a friend bought it, you never know when some asshole laces their stuff