Thread: The Far-Reaching Consequences of Legalizing Marijuana

Originally Posted by no_brains_no_worries

Really? I don't know. I've never met someone who's first drug was coke or X or schrooms. It's always been weed and then, over time, just gradually got into other things.

And why is that? Could it be because marijuana is simply more readily available - not to mention cheap, especially at young ages - than LSD or coke?

I seem to remember a study (although I don't recall by whom) that concluded that alcohol and tobacco were the first drugs used in nearly every case. I obviously can't cite the science, but this seems quite plausible. I know that when I was younger cigs and beer were ridiculously easy to get, and this was years before we ever knew where to buy weed.

Originally Posted by Syme

Even if there was enough of an increase in health care costs to cancel out the decrease in police/court/prison costs, we'd still be seeing a pretty considerable decrease in the amount of needless suffering that goes on as a result of our drug policies.

You're probably right.

Also, it's worth pointing out that the main reason people use meth is because it's a much cheaper alternative to stimulants like cocaine.

I don't know about this. Every meth user I've ever known was all about staying tweaked for days on end, rather than just getting a recreational buzz. This was the goal, rather than the byproduct of use.