I started to post this on the discussion page, but didn’t want to include something that is so far off topic there. With the recent legalization of marijuana out west, I wonder where we are headed as a country with drugs? I have my own opinions on this subject, but I would be interested to hear other people’s opinions on the matter. I would also love to hear/read what Dr. McWay thinks about the topic. Marijuana is clearly less harmful to people than alcohol, so why is it illegal? It is going to be interesting to hear how much money Colorado makes in taxes over the first year of it being legal. Will that sway law-makers to take another look at it? I understand the idea of it being a ‘gateway drug,’ but I imagine that there are millions of people out there who use marijuana and have never used other harder drugs like cocaine or heroin. I would be interested to see some data on this and I imagine it exists somewhere in a journal: Two parts – First, what percentage of hard drugs users began their drug use with marijuana? Second, what percentage of marijuana users only use marijuana?
I have been enjoying this argument for almost ten years and I love to debate, so I figured I’d throw it out there to see what others’ opinions are.
gtolcott 
Hey there!
I personally am pro-legalization, for a myriad of reasons. I think that at the very least, medicinal marijuana will be legal on a federal level within the next 10 years. I agree that it will be very interesting to see what happens in Colorado over the next year and it will definitely impact further legislation. It is my understanding that the myth of marijuana as a “gateway drug” has been disproven. I don’t have any articles to back that up, but I’ve been teaching a preventative Life Skills group at my practicum site for 6th graders. We did a unit on marijuana last week and the curriculum stated that it is not, in fact, a gateway drug. Based upon my own experience, it does not seem like most recreational marijuana users transition into harder drugs. I feel like the fact that it has legitimate medicinal uses clearly illustrates the fact that it is less harmful and has more potential for positive use than alcohol, I think it is a real shame that we continue to put people in jail over this plant. That being said, I definitely believe that there is potential for misuse (like with any substance) and addiction (not chemical, more of a process-type addiction). I guess we will have to wait and see what happens!! 🙂
Rachel