4 ms·

>it's just natural that young people _experiment_ with drugs. Is it?

gnulinux 8y ago
Yes, people are curious. Curiosity is a good thing and experimenting with pot is hardly dangerous. I smoked weed only two times in my life because I was very curious (living in the Bay Area, everyone was smoking it) but decided it's not my thing. I think it's natural.
- jhwang5 8y ago
  If you're curious, you can try swallowing fire while you're at it.
  - ArrayList 8y ago
    What an incredibly dumb thing to say.
    - macspoofing 8y ago
      Why is that? There is a world of difference between stating that young people are naturally curious, and stating that drug 'experimentation' (or 'experimenting' with some other dangerous activity) by young people is natural.
      - gnulinux 8y ago
        Drug experimenting is not dangerous at all. If you know how to read, you can read studies about these drugs. Drugs like weed, alcohol, LSD, tobacco are extremely well-tested and we know most short-term/long-term effects on adult humans. If you decided to experiment with something known to be toxic to humans (like cigarettes), then that's on you. If you read studies claiming pot to be safe, and you're not convinced, then don't smoke it.
        macspoofing 8y ago
        >Drug experimenting is not dangerous at all. No problems with 13 year-olds trying heroin? >If you read studies claiming pot to be safe, and you're not convinced, then don't smoke it. Pot isn't safe for kids, and there are multitudes of studies that show this. Will it hurt if a kid does something dumb once or twice? No. But habitual use is disastrous, from a brain developmental standpoint, mental health, and the sheer amount of time lost by being 'drunk' and not focusing on things like school. Pot is also addictive, not in the same way that heroin is, but it is addictive. Keep in mind, the original statement was around what is natural and what is isn't. I'm not conceding that it is natural for kids to smoke pot or do other drugs.
        gnulinux 8y ago
        I never said "it's natural for kids to smoke pot" or never suggesting something even remotely close to a 13 year old trying heroin OR even an adult trying heroin. Sorry but I'm done with this conversation since you have bunch of strawmen you really want to fight.
        noobly 8y ago
        >I'm done with this conversation since you have bunch of strawmen you really want to fight. Just wanted to chime to compliment this gracious exit, it's easy to waste time online arguing with these types.
    - jhwang5 8y ago
      What an incredibly low energy retort. Stay off the weeeeeeduh
RIMR 8y ago
Yes, it is perfectly normal for people to experiment with substances when they come of-age. Chronic drug use is no joke, but at least half the people I know used psychedelics in their early 20's. Most people drink, and most people have used cannabis at least once. What isn't normal is demonizing all forms of substance use, without properly differentiating it from substance abuse.
- macspoofing 8y ago
  >Yes, it is perfectly normal for people to experiment with substances when they come of-age. Oh yeah? 13 year olds 'experimenting' by doing lines of coke seem normal to you?
  - WiseWeasel 8y ago
    True, you should wait until you're 15 to try coke. On a more serious note, that's quite a biased way of thinking about cocaine use. The plant/substance doesn't have the same stigma in, say, Peru, where a 13-year-old is quite likely to have chewed coca leaves or drunk coca tea on many occasions. The perception you have of cocaine use is very much a product of the community in which you were raised.
  - TomMarius 8y ago
    Stop posting extreme hyperboles all around the discussion, please
    - macspoofing 8y ago
      Obviously it was hyperbole, but OP was sloppy when they stated "it is perfectly normal for people to experiment with substances when they come of-age.". What are young people (13 year olds? 18 year olds? 20 year olds?) and what drugs (just weed? any drugs?)? Others chimed it and argued that kids naturally alter their consciousness by spinning around and nobody thought to clarify. I don't think it's natural for kids to smoke marijuana. It is something that SOME kids do, but it is not natural or inevitable, and it is categorically not good for them (from a brain development, mental health, time-waste and addiction standpoint). There is a tendency for people to minimize marijuana risks and get sloppy around pot usage by kids.
dsnuh 8y ago
Why do you think it is so common for little kids to love to spin and spin until they get super dizzy? They are experimenting with altering their consciousness.
- macspoofing 8y ago
  Therefore it's natural to experiment with heroin?
  - dsnuh 8y ago
    Well, that's quite a leap from saying that human beings are naturally curious about changing their consciousness, which is what I am saying. I'm not sure what you're trying to say.
    - jhwang5 8y ago
      weed is the gateway drug. let that sink in.
      - dsnuh 8y ago
        I'm not sure if you're being serious, but I disagree if you are. Any drug can be the gateway for a person at risk for addiction. I don't have hard data (and I suspect there is none proving weed is the gateway drug, but am happy to be educated) but my guess is that alcohol is the gateway drug for a vast majority of Americans. Can weed be a person's gateway to harder drugs? Sure. Is it the gateway drug? I don't think so.

Yes, people are curious. Curiosity is a good thing and experimenting with pot is hardly dangerous. I smoked weed only two times in my life because I was very curious (living in the Bay Area, everyone was smoking it) but decided it's not my thing. I think it's natural.

jhwang5 8y ago
If you're curious, you can try swallowing fire while you're at it.
- ArrayList 8y ago
  What an incredibly dumb thing to say.
  - macspoofing 8y ago
    Why is that? There is a world of difference between stating that young people are naturally curious, and stating that drug 'experimentation' (or 'experimenting' with some other dangerous activity) by young people is natural.
    - gnulinux 8y ago
      Drug experimenting is not dangerous at all. If you know how to read, you can read studies about these drugs. Drugs like weed, alcohol, LSD, tobacco are extremely well-tested and we know most short-term/long-term effects on adult humans. If you decided to experiment with something known to be toxic to humans (like cigarettes), then that's on you. If you read studies claiming pot to be safe, and you're not convinced, then don't smoke it.
      - macspoofing 8y ago
        >Drug experimenting is not dangerous at all. No problems with 13 year-olds trying heroin? >If you read studies claiming pot to be safe, and you're not convinced, then don't smoke it. Pot isn't safe for kids, and there are multitudes of studies that show this. Will it hurt if a kid does something dumb once or twice? No. But habitual use is disastrous, from a brain developmental standpoint, mental health, and the sheer amount of time lost by being 'drunk' and not focusing on things like school. Pot is also addictive, not in the same way that heroin is, but it is addictive. Keep in mind, the original statement was around what is natural and what is isn't. I'm not conceding that it is natural for kids to smoke pot or do other drugs.
        gnulinux 8y ago
        I never said "it's natural for kids to smoke pot" or never suggesting something even remotely close to a 13 year old trying heroin OR even an adult trying heroin. Sorry but I'm done with this conversation since you have bunch of strawmen you really want to fight.
        noobly 8y ago
        >I'm done with this conversation since you have bunch of strawmen you really want to fight. Just wanted to chime to compliment this gracious exit, it's easy to waste time online arguing with these types.
  - jhwang5 8y ago
    What an incredibly low energy retort. Stay off the weeeeeeduh

RIMR 8y ago

Yes, it is perfectly normal for people to experiment with substances when they come of-age. Chronic drug use is no joke, but at least half the people I know used psychedelics in their early 20's. Most people drink, and most people have used cannabis at least once. What isn't normal is demonizing all forms of substance use, without properly differentiating it from substance abuse.

macspoofing 8y ago
>Yes, it is perfectly normal for people to experiment with substances when they come of-age. Oh yeah? 13 year olds 'experimenting' by doing lines of coke seem normal to you?
- WiseWeasel 8y ago
  True, you should wait until you're 15 to try coke. On a more serious note, that's quite a biased way of thinking about cocaine use. The plant/substance doesn't have the same stigma in, say, Peru, where a 13-year-old is quite likely to have chewed coca leaves or drunk coca tea on many occasions. The perception you have of cocaine use is very much a product of the community in which you were raised.
- TomMarius 8y ago
  Stop posting extreme hyperboles all around the discussion, please
  - macspoofing 8y ago
    Obviously it was hyperbole, but OP was sloppy when they stated "it is perfectly normal for people to experiment with substances when they come of-age.". What are young people (13 year olds? 18 year olds? 20 year olds?) and what drugs (just weed? any drugs?)? Others chimed it and argued that kids naturally alter their consciousness by spinning around and nobody thought to clarify. I don't think it's natural for kids to smoke marijuana. It is something that SOME kids do, but it is not natural or inevitable, and it is categorically not good for them (from a brain development, mental health, time-waste and addiction standpoint). There is a tendency for people to minimize marijuana risks and get sloppy around pot usage by kids.

dsnuh 8y ago

Why do you think it is so common for little kids to love to spin and spin until they get super dizzy? They are experimenting with altering their consciousness.

macspoofing 8y ago
Therefore it's natural to experiment with heroin?
- dsnuh 8y ago
  Well, that's quite a leap from saying that human beings are naturally curious about changing their consciousness, which is what I am saying. I'm not sure what you're trying to say.
  - jhwang5 8y ago
    weed is the gateway drug. let that sink in.
    - dsnuh 8y ago
      I'm not sure if you're being serious, but I disagree if you are. Any drug can be the gateway for a person at risk for addiction. I don't have hard data (and I suspect there is none proving weed is the gateway drug, but am happy to be educated) but my guess is that alcohol is the gateway drug for a vast majority of Americans. Can weed be a person's gateway to harder drugs? Sure. Is it the gateway drug? I don't think so.