re: Marijuana: A Gateway Drug?

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Once someone breaks the law to smoke weed, that is what opens the gateway. Once you break the law, the genie is out of the bottle and thus it is easier to move to something stronger.

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I think that's a valid argument and it's probably a significant factor, but it may not be the whole story.

However, that thought is in contradiction to your first statement:

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The gateway argument is ridiculous.

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Of course, if the illegality is the only factor that makes it a "gateway drug", then making it legal negates that argument, as I'm sure you're prepared to comment.

My own opinion is that I don't know if it is or isn't a chemical gateway, but it probably is somewhat of a psychological gateway because of it's stigma as an illegal substance.

Nevertheless, those who are invested in minimizing the negative aspects of marijuana use are mostly full of hot air. Their strongest point is that the over-stigmatization/vilification of marijuana has been disproportionate to the facts and certainly so in comparison with other intoxicants, such as alcohol. Their tendency to overstate the negatives of alcohol undercuts their overall point.