How To Quit Smoking

this is an excerpt from one of my short stories that I am using to make a full book. This story is about a group of teens who throw a party in an abandoned mansion unaware of the fact that it's haunted. It's pretty cliche, but it was done purposely as a nod to the cheesy horror movies from the 80s. In this scene, two of my characters are supposed to be working on decorations, but instead decide to take a break.

While sitting in a pile of hay, Ron tossed his empty can of beer to the side and then stood to his feet. After a quick break and a good stretch he was ready to get back to work. Meghan, on the other hand, was still in a relaxed mood, and was in no hurry to lift any objects. “We should get back to work now,” said Ron tugging on Meghan’s arm, “Percy will be pissed if we haven’t done anything since he left.”
“Oh I don’t wanna work! Baby, can’t we just chill out for few minutes?” Meghan pouted as she forced to stand up. The thought of ruining her fifty dollar manicure brought pain to her eyes, “I’ll explain to him that we were exhausted.”
“Meghan…”
“What? Look at this place! How can we work in there? It looks like a haunted mansion.”
“That’s the point. This is a Halloween themed party.” From outside, the two had taken a good look at the mansion. It was a tall red bricked-and-mortar building with an old styled mansard roof. Its outward appearance truly justified the theme of the party. There were several boarded up windows from side-to-side each with there own marking of graffiti or what appeared to be blood. The front door was covered in rusted loose chains fragile enough to collapse at the slightest gust of wind, and the shingles on the roof were either a faded black color or gone completely. A dark feeling of emptiness surrounded the mansion that stood in a field of hay and a few dead trees. It appeared as though no one had lived within miles of the mansion since the 1800s.
“I can’t go in there,” said Meghan, “I mean—I am deathly terrified of this house.” Ron sighed out of annoyance, grabbed a few boxes of party items, and headed towards the front door. “Ron, come on let’s just wait. I can’t go in there!”
“Why not? Don’t want to ruin your hair?”
“Why do you have to be such an ass? I can cover for us if he gets mad.”
“Percy’s not an idiot, and I’m not getting kicked off of the guest list all because my girlfriend is a lazy bimbo!”
“Excuse me? Forgive me if I may sound LAZY, but I just dropped well over five hundred dollars to get pampered up for this party. The last thing I need is to get dirty and mess with a bunch of tortured spirits!”
“Meghan the house is not haunted, you’re overreacting and are just as useless as usual, and right about now I don’t really care what you do.” Meghan crossed her arms and gritted her teeth holding in as much anger as she could, and letting out a small touch of sarcasm. “So if I just stood out here and had a good smoke while I watched you lift tables and sweat like a pig, you wouldn’t care?”
“Nope. Chase lung cancer all you want. I’m busy.”
“Well then fine, if you’d excuse me I’m gonna puff my life away.” Meghan stomped back over towards the pile of hay as Ron knocked down the chains of the front door barging his way in. A cloud of dust rushed past him as the mansion became filled with fresh air. “Ugh, it stinks in here,” he coughed gasping for breath. Using his flashlight, Ron managed to navigate himself around the mansion towards the windows, knocking out some of the boards to allow fresh air and light into the vacant rooms. All of the furniture, pictures, and various other items lying scattered around the house were perfectly preserved under a layer of dust and webs, untouched for several years.
“Do you see any ghosts?” Meghan turned her head towards one of the windows peeking in.
“Oh yeah, a whole lot of ‘em! Better not come inside,” Ron jokingly replied dragging a box over towards a door leading into what appeared to be the basement. He wiped a bit of sweat from off of his forehead and forcefully pulled the door open. Past the net of webs, a long narrow staircase led down to the lower portion of the mansion. It was too dark to see down directly, and with his flashlight Ron was able to point out a very faint and cloudy figure.
“I hope you didn’t sprain anything!” Meghan puffed out tossing her cigarette to the ground.
“And I hope your parents don’t find out their daughter is a chain-smoking lunatic!” said Ron directing his attention back towards Meghan, and turning his back towards the basement, “I think it’s pretty sad that—”
“That what? Ron, what did you say?” Meghan walked up the steps onto the front porch and leaned her head forward, peeking into the mansion, “I didn’t hear you, Ron! What did you say?” No one responded, and that’s when Meghan, irritably, walked into the home. “Ron? Ron, where did you go?” Meghan proceeded down a hallway where the basement door was wide open, and Ron’s shoes were at the edge of the staircase.
“Ron?” She hes

It's okay. Probably should be longer. But it's good

Should I do it? What are the long term effects of marijuana use on your health? Short term outside of being high? Is it addictive?

I read on a government website that it could lead to AIDS.

Here's the expert

"What Are the Common Effects?

For some people, smoking marijuana makes them feel good. Within minutes of inhaling, a user begins to feel “high,” or filled with pleasant sensations. THC triggers brain cells to release the chemical dopamine. Dopamine creates good feelings—for a short time. [3]

Imagine this: You're in a ball game, playing out in left field. An easy fly ball comes your way, and you’re psyched. When that ball lands in your glove your team will win, and you’ll be a hero. But, you’re a little off. The ball grazes your glove and hits dirt. So much for your dreams of glory.

Such loss of coordination can be caused by smoking marijuana. And that’s just one of its many negative effects. Marijuana affects memory, judgment, and perception. Under the influence of marijuana, you could fail to remember things you just learned, watch your grade point average drop, or crash a car. Some people may suffer sudden feelings of anxiety and have paranoid thoughts—which is more likely to happen when higher doses are used or when it is taken orally. The problem is that it’s difficult to tell what the effects of marijuana will be for any given person at any time, because they vary based on the person, their drug history, how much marijuana is taken, and its potency. Effects can also be unpredictable when other drugs are mixed with marijuana.

Also, since marijuana can affect judgment and decision making, using it can lead to risky sexual behavior, resulting in exposure to sexually transmitted diseases, like HIV, the virus that causes AIDS."

http://teens.drugabuse.gov/facts/facts_mj1.asp

That's the site.

Thanks

Total propaganda. This kind of alarmism has no basis in objective fact, it just constitutes the polemnics of a particular political agenda.

I am all in favor of practicing civil disobedience by consuming so-called "illegal drugs". The illegality of these substances is not justifiable whatsoever within the parameters of a free society, and the illegality strictly represents an authoritarian approach. A crime is simply not a crime unless there is a victim whose rights have been infringed. Being subject to prosecution for victimless crimes does not make you a free citizen, it makes you a slave.

The major caveat I'd like to express though is that in practicing any form of civil disobedience against government tyranny, you must be ready to accept the consequences of that tyranny.

I've had a pretty rough childhood growing up. I got into some trouble as a teen, got mixed in the wrong crowd, and did some things I'm not proud of (drugs).

I started by smoking pot, but it quickly led to other more serious drugs which eventually landed me in the hospital. Once that happened I knew it was time to quit. At the time this happened I had dropped out of high school for a semester but after my incident I went back to school and worked my butt off to graduate. I was one semester short of finishing with my class but I still did it. I got my diploma by going to night, summer and online school. I was the first person to graduate from my family. Even though I finished my dad called me a junkie and said I should have died while I was in the hospital, he says it would have been easier for him. As a child I remember him telling my brother and I that he hated us and he wishes we were never born. He's pretty cruel at times.

Anyways, after high school I went to college for a semester bc I was forced by my dad, he wouldn't stop pressuring me. I got A's that whole time I went…still no acknowledgement from him for my good work.

Yet he's so quick to point out the negative.

I realized that my heart wasn't in school at that moment and I wanted to do something that I actually wanted to do, so I enlisted in the US Army.

My father of course thought I made the biggest mistake of my life (still does till this day). He thinks people who join the military are stupid, or they have nothing better to do and it's a waste of time.

Anyways, once I finished my training I became pregnant by my fiance of 4yrs. I had the baby, despite my fathers wishes bc afterall, it's my body, my child NOT HIS! The whole time I was pregnant I could tell he was ashamed. I worked the whole time I was pregnant I never asked him for a thing. Then when my son was born he came around and now he treats my son really well, but deep down inside I can still tell he thinks I ruined my life.

I am active duty now and I live alone just my son and I. I never ask him for anything, and anything I do get from him is bc he choses gives it to me, for the baby or myself.

He tells me he's proud of me, but then he contradicts himself when he talks to my little brother by saying "you're sister has ruined her life, she's not doing anything with herself being in the military".

I feel like he's so fake, he can never say how he really feels to my face, everytime I confront him he tries to switch it up and sugarcoat it. I'm getting sick of it!

My little brother according to my dad is the only one who hasn't "messed up" his life. My little brother has never been in any kind of trouble, he's been a really good student and is in college. My brother was thinking about enlisting in the Army as well but when he told my dad, he flipped out on him saying "you're way too smart to join the Army, look at Zina (me) she's not doing anything with her life". It just pisses me off to hear him say that to my lil bro. My lil bro of course knows what I've accomplished and doesn't pay our father no mind. He thinks our dad is a little crazy too. The only person to support my decision when I enlisted was my little brother, and when he told me he wanted to join I felt so proud and of course I supported him. Today he texted me and told me he was sworn in. He hasn't told our parents yet bc they will flip out.

Anyways, my issue is, no matter what I do my dad always has something negative to say. It's like there's no way to get his approval or acceptance. I know I'm a grown woman with my own family and I shouldn't need it but still, it'd be nice for once when he tells me he's proud that he really means it.

I feel like this is making me really dislike my him bc of it. I'm tired of trying to prove myself to him. I think I've accomplished a lot being 23. He just doesn't see it. He's forever comparing me to our older sister who never finished high school, has a son, lives off the government and never works. I try my hardest to make sure that I never need to depend on him for anything. I plan on going back to college next semester but only bc I want to. I wanted to take time off to spend it with my son and become more established in my military career. I don't even want my dad to pay for my college which is another reason why I enlisted bc he's always complaining about money and yet he wanted me to go to school so bad. In fact, recently he's been the one borrowing money from me. I plan on getting my degree but on my own time not his, but something tells me, that even when I do finish school he still won't be proud.

What do I do? Any advice or personal experiences? Should I cut him off bc when I tell him how I feel he completely disregards my feelings. I am getting to the point where I feel like I'm just better off without him in my life.

First of all, you are one hell of an amazing woman to have accomplished all that you have in life so far - no matter what anyone says, you are AWESOME!

It sounds as if your father has some deep rooted emotional scars (that either he doesn't know he has, or is denying that he has) and is using his loved ones to shift any unwanted feelings of guilt/shame/helplessness etc away from himself so he doesn't have to deal with his own shortcomings. Do you know anything about your fathers life before he had you guys?

It does suck when people you love close their minds to possibilities and accept only what they know - they miss out on so much! But be careful not to get caught up in your dad's negativity - don't let his biases diminish your own appreciation of your achievements, coz that would be a shame. I'd also be careful that you don't continue to do things just because it will or won't affect your dad - based on what you've written, it looks as if you've done exactly that without realising it.

This is what I think it all comes down to …

It's not fair, and it's not right, it sucks and it's shameful the way your dad has handled this, but at the end of the day it just IS.
The reality is, somewhere along the line, your dad adopted this way of thinking which with repeated use created a habit - and we all know how hard a habit is to break, no matter how much good intention we chuck at it.

Forgive him for his ignorance, lack of openness & understanding, coz in the long run, it'll hurt you more than it'll hurt him to go on this way.
Try a different approach - Work on yourself.
In life, there is only one sure thing you can totally control … YOU. Are you happy in yourself? Do you accept yourself for who you really you are - do you love yourself? Are you enough by yourself so that it really doesn't matter what others think of you? Work on YOU until you are so confident nothing can drag you down.

Try to change the internal dialogue in your head that says "my dad doesn't care about me" to something like "love and understanding" whenever you deal with him. I had similar probs with my dad in that he was stuck in 'traditional ways' of doing things which drove me bonkers coz that pretty much meant everything I did was wrong. Somehow, people find it easy to delude themselves into believing things that aren't true or relevant anymore, but they feel a sense of security so they'll blindly enforce that belief onto anyone who might listen. Sad, but true.

There's always a reason behind everything we do or don't do (whether it's good for us or not is irrelevant), and because we're all so complicated, alot of the time those reasons aren't always clear.
What I've found is, the more you approach things from a love point of view, the more you leave yourself open to opportunity and understanding.

Woh, sorry about the novel, but hope this helped.

Peace love and abundance to ya,

Lis

I've had a pretty rough childhood growing up. I got into some trouble as a teen, got mixed in the wrong crowd, and did some things I'm not proud of (drugs).

I started by smoking pot, but it quickly led to other more serious drugs which eventually landed me in the hospital. Once that happened I knew it was time to quit. At the time this happened I had dropped out of high school for a semester but after my incident I went back to school and worked my butt off to graduate. I was one semester short of finishing with my class but I still did it. I got my diploma by going to night, summer and online school. I was the first person to graduate from my family. Even though I finished my dad called me a junkie and said I should have died while I was in the hospital, he says it would have been easier for him. As a child I remember him telling my brother and I that he hated us and he wishes we were never born. He's pretty cruel at times.

Anyways, after high school I went to college for a semester bc I was forced by my dad, he wouldn't stop pressuring me. I got A's that whole time I went…still no acknowledgement from him for my good work.

Yet he's so quick to point out the negative.

I realized that my heart wasn't in school at that moment and I wanted to do something that I actually wanted to do, so I enlisted in the US Army.

My father of course thought I made the biggest mistake of my life (still does till this day). He thinks people who join the military are stupid, or they have nothing better to do and it's a waste of time.

Anyways, once I finished my training I became pregnant by my fiance of 4yrs. I had the baby, despite my fathers wishes bc afterall, it's my body, my child NOT HIS! The whole time I was pregnant I could tell he was ashamed. I worked the whole time I was pregnant I never asked him for a thing. Then when my son was born he came around and now he treats my son really well, but deep down inside I can still tell he thinks I ruined my life.

I am active duty now and I live alone just my son and I. I never ask him for anything, and anything I do get from him is bc he choses gives it to me, for the baby or myself.

He tells me he's proud of me, but then he contradicts himself when he talks to my little brother by saying "you're sister has ruined her life, she's not doing anything with herself being in the military".

I feel like he's so fake, he can never say how he really feels to my face, everytime I confront him he tries to switch it up and sugarcoat it. I'm getting sick of it!

My little brother according to my dad is the only one who hasn't "messed up" his life. My little brother has never been in any kind of trouble, he's been a really good student and is in college. My brother was thinking about enlisting in the Army as well but when he told my dad, he flipped out on him saying "you're way too smart to join the Army, look at Zina (me) she's not doing anything with her life". It just pisses me off to hear him say that to my lil bro. My lil bro of course knows what I've accomplished and doesn't pay our father no mind. He thinks our dad is a little crazy too. The only person to support my decision when I enlisted was my little brother, and when he told me he wanted to join I felt so proud and of course I supported him. Today he texted me and told me he was sworn in. He hasn't told our parents yet bc they will flip out.

Anyways, my issue is, no matter what I do my dad always has something negative to say. It's like there's no way to get his approval or acceptance. I know I'm a grown woman with my own family and I shouldn't need it but still, it'd be nice for once when he tells me he's proud that he really means it.

I feel like this is making me really dislike my him bc of it. I'm tired of trying to prove myself to him. I think I've accomplished a lot being 23. He just doesn't see it. He's forever comparing me to our older sister who never finished high school, has a son, lives off the government and never works. I try my hardest to make sure that I never need to depend on him for anything. I plan on going back to college next semester but only bc I want to. I wanted to take time off to spend it with my son and become more established in my military career. I don't even want my dad to pay for my college which is another reason why I enlisted bc he's always complaining about money and yet he wanted me to go to school so bad. In fact, recently he's been the one borrowing money from me. I plan on getting my degree but on my own time not his, but something tells me, that even when I do finish school he still won't be proud.

What do I do? Any advice or personal experiences? Should I cut him off bc when I tell him how I feel he completely disregards my feelings. I am getting to the point where I feel like I'm just better off without him in my life.

Wow. You've accomplished a lot. All by your own merit.

Parents are old … they have difficulty changing their complaining habits. I won't say it is okay but I'd say, don't let his words get to you. One ear in and one ear out. Just smile and nod. I don't know about cutting him off … I wouldn't want to do anything that I will regret later on.

Be content with your accomplishments. Accept yourself. It's hard but try to stop listening to his voice.

Another thing you can do is write him a letter telling him how you feel. Do it with love so you will try to avoid hurtful words to him.

He might not change. You might have to just spend less time with him. Perhaps only visit on special holidays. And when you do visit, don't spend too much alone time with him. But be courteous and respectful.

BTW, my dad's like that too. I've moved to another country but we chat occasionally. He still says hurtful things. Being far away - I can take it but i have to remind myself constantly that I've accomplished something. Good luck!

So I've been doing a little research and found that a 2008 survey of 8th, 10th and 12th grade students discovered there are more 10th graders smoking pot than cigarettes. To me, this is great news, as the MPP.org article I read this from points out towards the end, "Lsat year over 775,000 Americans were arrested for possession of marijuana while zero were arrested for possession of cigarettes. And yet it's teen cigarette use that's dropping." It's not that I think high school students should be using pot. If you ever read the stuff Dr. Mitch Earleywine writes you'll know that teenage intoxicant use can affect a developing brain, so it's probably best for teenagers to stay away from all intoxicants. I just think that legalizing cannabis and enacting laws that put it on the same level as alcohol will make it harder for teens to get, therefore, harder to use. Adult use shouldn't be hindered in any way. If someone wants to take a drug, any drug, then they should be allowed to do so, but if that drug use leads to them committing crime, then the crime they committed should be punished. Much the same way drunk drivers are prosecuted for the crime they committed, even though alcohol is a legal intoxicant. The only problem I see is that law enforcement will never go along with this until there is a reliable test to show that an individual is currently intoxicated. Urinalysis doesn't show intoxication, it just shows that someone took a drug at some point. Does anyone have any opinions on this matter? Should in fact marijuana be legal? Does anyone have any evidence to offer on the contrary?
Yes money could be an issue. Tieing up our court rooms with frivilous drug charges is a way to keep the court appointed drug rehabilitation programs full of money. Look at the numbers though. 51% of all the nations imates in prison are non-violent offenders. WTF! The fastest growing corperation in the USA is the prison system. Our civil liberties are being oppressed in the name of DRUG WAR. Its a sad time.
Lui O your rant proved nothing but that you are not educated and that the school systems have failed you. Im sorry.

I recently read an article off of MSN about marijuana possibly reversing the effects of Alzheimer's disease on the elderly. The study was done with rats, and to legally do it on humans, marijuana would need to be SOMEWHAT legalized (more than it is now, referring to CA).

I believe marijuana should be legalized. With so many people smoking it now, imagine all the taxes the government could gain. And it's not like marijuana will ever be eliminated permanently, so there is really no use trying to stop it.

It isn't a very harsh drug either. Not too many long term effects besides some memory loss and the typical smoke-inhaling lung problems (if that).

I also know that a group of congressmen have been working on a bill to intoduce to the Obama Administration that will allow marijuana to be legally carried, so long as it is under an 1/8th of an ounce. I believe Ron Paul was one of the congressmen.

With a new approah to our government with a new president, who knows? Maybe next year, you will be able to legally walk down a street smoking a joint!

what if you're not 18?

Please dont give your opinion about teens smokin. just state the facts and get on.
Thanks

Yes you can take them. Put them in your checked bagge if you have one.

Here is the exact text of the directions
:
In light of the fact that smoking, drugs, shoplifting, and gang violence often involve peer pressure, write a letter to a teen magazine explaining Anthem’s benefits for teenage readers.
:
I need the “benefits” part

Please dont write the letter for me, i just need the benefits to imply it into my letter.

Points if i get it answered fully!

THANX

The hero in Anthem escapes from a society where he is told what to do and expected to live how others tell him to live. The benefit to reading this could show teenagers that thinking for yourself and discovering your own way of life leads you to happiness. It also shows that the people who will only appreciate you if you do what they do, and what they tell you to are ignorant and won’t help you get where you want to be. If you think for yourself, good people will be attracted to you.

In 2002 the RAND Institute's Drug Research Policy Center sponsored a study examining the "gateway theory," which postulates that marijuana use leads to the abuse of other drugs such as cocaine and heroin. In the following viewpoint Jim McDonough argues that the media has misrepresented the results of the study by claiming that it found that marijuana is not a gateway drug. In fact, McDonough contends, the study's researchers discovered that the correlation between marijuana use and other drug use is high, and that users who abuse marijuana on a frequent basis are more likely to use cocaine and heroin. McDonough is the director of the Florida Office of Drug Control and formerly served as director of strategic planning at the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

As you read, consider the following questions:

What previous study results are accepted by the author of the RAND study, according to McDonough?
What is the "common factor" theory, as cited by the author?
What are the RAND study's important findings that were missed by the press and promarijuana lobby, according to McDonough?

Big excitement has hit the drug legalization world. A [2002] RAND Drug Policy Research Center study reported that marijuana may look, act, and smell like a gateway drug to abuse of harder drugs, but that possibly it is not a gateway drug after all.

A Misrepresented Study

The marijuana normalizers—as in, "let's make marijuana use normal, or acceptable"—loved it; so did some of the press. Both were quick to misportray the study, so much so that the author of the study himself was dismayed.

Andrew Morral of RAND believes he did everything he could to explain he did not disprove the gateway theory but, as he told me, "The story about it misrepresented both our findings and my comments about the relevance of our findings to US drug policy. RAND and I have taken pains to emphasize that we do not believe we have disproved the gateway theory."

The study did say that a high incidence of progression from marijuana to heroin and cocaine use is apparent; that the younger you are when you start using marijuana, the more likely you are to end up using cocaine and heroin; that the more often you use marijuana, the more likely you will use cocaine and heroin.

In short, the study shows the correlation between marijuana and other drug abuse to be high.

Indeed, the study accepts previous studies that have demonstrated the probability that heroin and cocaine use increases 85 times for marijuana users when compared with those who are not marijuana users; that early teen use of marijuana is even more highly correlated with other drug use than late teen marijuana use; and that the more puffs of marijuana you take, the more likely you move on to injections and snorting of even more dangerous drugs.

But here's where the misunderstanding begins. The study says that maybe these terrible things happen because the people who use all these nasty drugs do it because they have a propensity for drug use, and marijuana is the first illegal drug to present itself to the young.

Dr. Morral calls that the "common factor" theory.

In other words, all drug users like all drugs; marijuana just comes along first. He suggests that this theory might be more accurate than the gateway theory.

But is a gateway not a gateway because it happens to present itself in front of where you want to go?

Perhaps this study's findings appear trivial. They aren't. If marijuana is merely the door through which those inclined to use drugs pass because it is convenient, all the more reason to keep that door locked.

Marijuana Is Dangerous

I'm convinced that's the best way to view Morral's findings, because the pro-marijuana lobby and much of what the press missed in this study, as well as other careful studies, were findings that suggest:

There is a strong correlation between marijuana and other drug abuse, with marijuana almost always occurring first.
Marijuana, all by itself, is a dangerous drug.
There is a strong correlation between marijuana use and schizophrenia.
Marijuana itself is addictive.
Youth marijuana use correlates highly with violence, truancy, and other behavioral problems.
The younger the marijuana user, the more psychological and physiological damage done, and the more likely that other drugs will follow.
Smoking three marijuana joints a day can cause the equivalent respiratory damage associated with 20 cigarettes a day. Marijuana smokers show significantly more respiratory symptoms than people who don't smoke it.
Prolonged use can cause attention deficit and deterioration in memory.

Over the years, I have talked with hundreds of addicts and treatment counselors. They say that marijuana was virtually always the beginning of a long, ugly journey; that marijuana is the most insidious of the illegal drugs because of the seductive, but often wrong, rationale that you can quit any time you want

There actually ISN'T a strong correlation between marijuana users and other drug abuse.

Look at it this way…It's very possible that a lot of people who abuse hard drugs started with marijuana.
However, a much more accurate way to look at it isn't how many hard drug users have smoked weed, but how many weed smokers have tried harder drugs.

The gateway theory is fear mongering at it's finest. It's a way to make it seem evil by association. "Oh no, if little Johnny smokes that pot he will be snorting lines of coke in a month!".

Marijuana is a relatively benign substance.

Here is the exact text of the directions
:
In light of the fact that smoking, drugs, shoplifting, and gang violence often involve peer pressure, write a letter to a teen magazine explaining Anthem’s benefits for teenage readers.
:
I need the “benefits” part

Please dont write the letter for me, i just need the benefits to imply it into my letter.

Points if i get it answered fully!

THANX

The hero in Anthem escapes from a society where he is told what to do and expected to live how others tell him to live. The benefit to reading this could show teenagers that thinking for yourself and discovering your own way of life leads you to happiness. It also shows that the people who will only appreciate you if you do what they do, and what they tell you to are ignorant and won’t help you get where you want to be. If you think for yourself, good people will be attracted to you.

Marijuana Use Leads to the Use of Other Drugs

Table of Contents: Further Readings

In 2002 the RAND Institute’s Drug Research Policy Center sponsored a study examining the “gateway theory,” which postulates that marijuana use leads to the abuse of other drugs such as cocaine and heroin. In the following viewpoint Jim McDonough argues that the media has misrepresented the results of the study by claiming that it found that marijuana is not a gateway drug. In fact, McDonough contends, the study’s researchers discovered that the correlation between marijuana use and other drug use is high, and that users who abuse marijuana on a frequent basis are more likely to use cocaine and heroin. McDonough is the director of the Florida Office of Drug Control and formerly served as director of strategic planning at the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

As you read, consider the following questions:

What previous study results are accepted by the author of the RAND study, according to McDonough?
What is the “common factor” theory, as cited by the author?
What are the RAND study’s important findings that were missed by the press and promarijuana lobby, according to McDonough?

Big excitement has hit the drug legalization world. A [2002] RAND Drug Policy Research Center study reported that marijuana may look, act, and smell like a gateway drug to abuse of harder drugs, but that possibly it is not a gateway drug after all.

A Misrepresented Study

The marijuana normalizers—as in, “let’s make marijuana use normal, or acceptable”—loved it; so did some of the press. Both were quick to misportray the study, so much so that the author of the study himself was dismayed.

Andrew Morral of RAND believes he did everything he could to explain he did not disprove the gateway theory but, as he told me, “The story about it misrepresented both our findings and my comments about the relevance of our findings to US drug policy. RAND and I have taken pains to emphasize that we do not believe we have disproved the gateway theory.”

The study did say that a high incidence of progression from marijuana to heroin and cocaine use is apparent; that the younger you are when you start using marijuana, the more likely you are to end up using cocaine and heroin; that the more often you use marijuana, the more likely you will use cocaine and heroin.

In short, the study shows the correlation between marijuana and other drug abuse to be high.

Indeed, the study accepts previous studies that have demonstrated the probability that heroin and cocaine use increases 85 times for marijuana users when compared with those who are not marijuana users; that early teen use of marijuana is even more highly correlated with other drug use than late teen marijuana use; and that the more puffs of marijuana you take, the more likely you move on to injections and snorting of even more dangerous drugs.

But here’s where the misunderstanding begins. The study says that maybe these terrible things happen because the people who use all these nasty drugs do it because they have a propensity for drug use, and marijuana is the first illegal drug to present itself to the young.

Dr. Morral calls that the “common factor” theory.

In other words, all drug users like all drugs; marijuana just comes along first. He suggests that this theory might be more accurate than the gateway theory.

But is a gateway not a gateway because it happens to present itself in front of where you want to go?

Perhaps this study’s findings appear trivial. They aren’t. If marijuana is merely the door through which those inclined to use drugs pass because it is convenient, all the more reason to keep that door locked.

Marijuana Is Dangerous

I’m convinced that’s the best way to view Morral’s findings, because the pro-marijuana lobby and much of what the press missed in this study, as well as other careful studies, were findings that suggest:

There is a strong correlation between marijuana and other drug abuse, with marijuana almost always occurring first.
Marijuana, all by itself, is a dangerous drug.
There is a strong correlation between marijuana use and schizophrenia.
Marijuana itself is addictive.
Youth marijuana use correlates highly with violence, truancy, and other behavioral problems.
The younger the marijuana user, the more psychological and physiological damage done, and the more likely that other drugs will follow.
Smoking three marijuana joints a day can cause the equivalent respiratory damage associated with 20 cigarettes a day. Marijuana smokers show significantly more respiratory symptoms than people who don’t smoke it.
Prolonged use can cause attention deficit and deterioration in memory.

Over the years, I have talked with hundreds of addicts and treatment counselors. They say that marijuana was virtually always the beginning of a long, ugly journey; that marijuana is the most insidious of the illegal

Pot should be legalized for many reasons. Both medicinal and mundane.