Uncle Cliff

[intlzncster]

It's like labeling anyone that smokes pot a "druggie." You sound like someone out of Reefer Madness.

Did you catch my post above where I mentioned that movie? If not, it's hilarious that Reefer Madness would be mentioned twice in this thread. It's perfect.

 

[UCweCONN]

My kids are easy to love. They are genuinely good kids.

I would prefer they don't smoke pot as teens. And the best way of preventing that would be to eliminate the black market by fully legalizing and selling over the counter to responsible adults of legal age, just like we do with alcohol.

The best way to squash the "gateway" effect would be to stop lumping MJ in with more harmful drugs.

I would be even less OK with my teens drinking. Would I ever hope they never in their adult lives responsibly get to enjoy a fine microbrew or glass of wine? No. I would hope they grow to have the strength of character to enjoy a libation or whatever brings them joy and balance it by fulfilling responsibilities and prospering.

Here's the horrible thing about drug addiction and alcoholism: No one takes that first drink, toke, pill or hit thinking, "Yeah, I'm gonna become an addict! Alright!". Everyone thinks they're mature enough to handle it. However, some have a metabolic pre-disposition (family history is a good predictor) where the first time the alcohol or drug hits their bloodstream, their brain says, "Yes! This is what I've been missing all this time!". No one knows if they are one of these people until they start. For those that have addictive tendencies, from that point on, it's not about moral responsibility not to drink or drug, it's a daily struggle to fight those thoughts in the brain telling them, "I need that drink/drug!". I had a grandfather who was an alcoholic but fortunately I didn't inherit his problem. I can have a drink without the need to have a second or third and never had any desire to use drugs although a lot of my friends smoked weed in high school and college.

 

[intlzncster]

Here's the horrible thing about drug addiction and alcoholism: No one takes that first drink, toke, pill or hit thinking, "Yeah, I'm gonna become an addict! Alright!". Everyone thinks they're mature enough to handle it. However, some have a metabolic pre-disposition (family history is a good predictor) where the first time the alcohol or drug hits their bloodstream, their brain says, "Yes! This is what I've been missing all this time!". No one knows if they are one of these people until they start. For those that have addictive tendencies, from that point on, it's not about moral responsibility not to drink or drug, it's a daily struggle to fight those thoughts in the brain telling them, "I need that drink/drug!". I had a grandfather who was an alcoholic but fortunately I didn't inherit his problem. I can have a drink without the need to have a second or third and never had any desire to use drugs although a lot of my friends smoked weed in high school and college.

Not here for a pissing match, but rarely does someone have a genetic predisposition to it without being aware of it. It's usually rife in one's family history, as others in your family tree also have that same anomaly, and are adversely 'affected' by it. At the end of the day, it is still that person's choice. Yes, the influence on their choice is very, very strong. The fact that many alcoholics are able to get clean, usually with a lot of help, is proof positive that it is ultimately a choice. It's something they need to manage, not unlike other ailments such as diabetes.

And on the larger topic at hand, just because a minority have a problem with it, shouldn't dictate the desires and abilities of the majority to enjoy life as they see fit. At the risk of sounding like a crank, that is one of the huge problems in modern society. Everything is over-dictated/regulated to the point of not being able to do anything.