Marijuana: A Gateway Drug?

In spite of living in Colorado, the crown jewel of marijuana experimentation, my experience with the drug is very limited. In 1972, I went to a friend’s party, where there were a number of young people present. I unknowingly participated liberally in the delicious brownies that were served only to find out later they were heavily laced with marijuana. I had also had a couple of glasses of wine and left the party feeling unusually friendly. On my way home I ran into some friends and remember dancing on their kitchen counter—and I'm a terrible dancer. I somehow managed to stagger across the street and into bed, thinking I would wake up with a world-class hangover. The morning found me only a little ashamed, but alert and with no other ill effects.

In 2011, my grandson had a minor interest in a medical marijuana business and I had him send me a sampling of marijuana candy—for experimental purposes only! At that time Betty and I were living in our motorhome in a park outside of San Antonio and I tried the candy on two separate occasions, did not like the effects, and threw the box away.

Colorado has legalized both medical and recreational marijuana, there is a big debate about whether it is a gateway drug to cocaine, heroin and other more addictive substances. The jury is still out, but the indications are that this is not the case. Other studies have shown that it could be a substitute for some opiate prescription drugs that often lead to heroin - let's hope that trend continues. For years, I have taken the position that all drugs should be legal. We’ve been fighting the war on drugs for over 60 years and are losing. Our prisons are full of people who did nothing worse than abuse their own bodies, hundreds of millions of dollars are being made by the drug cartels, and thousands of people are killed in the drug wars. We should make it legal, collect the tax revenue, and devote our country's efforts and dollars to drug education and rehabilitation.

And that's the way I see it.