[a13o]

I think these 'gateway drug' believers will be pleasantly surprised. One reason it's a gateway drug is because of a line of thought like this:

1) Govt says cannabis is the most dangerous drug.

2) I try cannabis, nothing bad happens.

3) So when the govt says drugs are dangerous, they are incorrect? I guess I can't use their rating system and will have to base it on my own experiences.

There is a trust penalty for over-classifying drugs.

And then of course picking up your cannabis from the popular pharmacy chain means you never had a reason to introduce yourself to a dealer, who may stock cannabis alongside other drugs.

Cannabis isn't intrinsically a gateway drug. All the gateway-ness flows from the social structure surrounding its misclassification.

[mmanfrin]

That or the other 'gateway' pathway:

1) Govt says cannabis is the most dangerous drug.

2) I find someone who will sell me illegal thing.

3) I try cannabis, nothing bad happens.

4) Vendor has other items for sale.

[roryokane]

That’s not an “other” gateway path… it’s an example of the same path described in the post you replied to.

[ClassyJacket]

This is precisely how my thought process went back when I used to use drugs heavily.

I remember a teacher telling me drugs make hair grow out of your teeth. I figured if drugs were really that bad they wouldn't need to lie about what they do.

[vehementi]

Not to go all Godwin but a lot of people have the same reaction to news about Trump -- for some reason, people see the need to lie about and misrepresent Trump. "If he's so bad, surely people could just list off his crimes without having to try to trick me right? Must not be so bad, it couldn't hurt to give him a turn as president."