Sorry, I just totally disagree is all.

OH...I just read the druglibrary link you posted, LightStar.  I don't think you meant to add that one, because if you fully read the article, the final paragraph concludes:

"The data I have presented point very strongly to the conclusion that the "conveyor belt" metaphor of drug escalation is invalid. If marijuana possession were decriminalized and placed under legal controls similar to those for alcohol, the drug would eventually lose its subterranean character. This would give the marijuana subculture less "specialness" and less socializing power. And the link with the use of other dangerous drugs would be attenuated. The correlation would not, of course, disappear—it still exists with the legal drugs. But the marijuana-dangerous drug correlation would become no different from that between the current legal and illegal drugs. As John Kaplan has pointed out, it is legitimate to ask "whether or not the criminalization of marijuana is part of the problem, rather than the solution"

You probably shouldn't be quoting the Shaffer commission, or anything from DRNCnet if you are opposed to legalization, just an FYI.

Also, your last edited link, the About.com article -- written by somebody referred to as Buddy T, an anonymous author who is in recovery for alcoholism,...it's his BLOG.  There is no empirical evidence, no legitimate footnotes to his blog.  YOU should write a blog against the dangers of marijuana use!  Both of you have about the same amount of hard data and empirical evidence.

Operative word here is "cocaine"...pot was just the delivery system used. This is purely propaganda devised to discourage use of pot and you'll find tons of these claims all over the internet.

This is just laughable Tom. Anyone that compares pot usage and it's effects to cocaine, heroin or alcohol had never personally used it and it's simply untrue. The only reason some people start with pot is because it was and is easier to obtain than other drugs. All effects from pot are temporary and there is no long term damage of any kind. If that were true I'd be a fulltiltbozo blithering idiot licking windows. Again, this is purely propaganda devised to discourage use of pot.

Again...these are school kids who would be more likely to have exposure to marijuana or tobacco or alcohol...so it would only make sense that they would try one of these first. I never met anyone in any level of school that walked around with heroin or cocaine in their pockets. The first drug I ever did was LSD at age 14...and it wasn't until later that I tried pot.

Yeah...the kid was an idiot to begin with. This proves nothing whatsoever....just more propaganda. The only true way to understand what these drugs actually do is to try them yourself...which I'm not in any way, shape or form suggesting you do.

If you "really" want to know what the effects of drugs are...ask me...I've tried everything under the sun...numerous times...with the exception of known addicting drugs. I will not bullshit you and I will not suggest you try them. I will just tell you the truth. And I am not bragging about what I've done...nor am I trying to justify anything I've done to anyone. I have no regrets or long term side effects from what I did.

I just get extremely annoyed by all this misinformation. The truth will set you free! Or you'll just get a bad case of the munchies! 

Understood WG, but in the long run it is what one wholly believes that rules out, finding out the "truth" is almost impossible in a lot of cases. I have to stick with my convictions no matter what, and nothing is ever going to change that. 

Guys one of the primary reasons why hemp is illegal is because it competes with the timber industry over specific products like paper, not because of some religious polling.

In case people did not know it, and I certainly do not agree with it, but medicinal marijuana has been legal in Michigan since 2008.  It is also legal for medicinal purposes in 13 other states, and in two other states under stricter controls.  At least my state has got people with some brains left in it government wise!

Yeap, that's us drug users. We're all a bunch of Evil, Satanist Worshiping, Baby Eaters, over here. I eat my baby's while dipping them in the tears of orphans. Then I sit back and roll a fatty with a page out of the bible. Once I get the munchies again it's back to eating more babys.

Damn Raven X, that's brutal. I prefer my one hitter, some Anime, and maybe a good PC game. Don't forget the chips and about 5 gallons of sweet tea! But yea, that is how they sold Marijuana Stamp Tax Act! We got to thank Pres. Nixon for our present drug laws, and Reagan gave us the Prison clogging mandatory sentencing, so much for smaller government!

It's amusing that the arguments here parallel those of whether piracy is right or not.

Anyone who promotes drug use is a fool.

The silly part of all this is that the OP is clearly deficient in logical thought processes which suggests drug abuse on a significant scale.

... and created a helluva lot more.

Ok for the record the issue is only to  legalize medical marijuana use... see here it in no way is about support drug use for other purposes...

While I won't post my feelings on drugs as a whole... this I can support.. if the issue is voted on and the majority support then I to will support it...

oh and  btw I am a resident of Michigan and live 72 miles from Detroit and our local major city is also considering this issue...

no I do not get a vote as I am not a resident of Detroit... I merely said i would support the issue of medical marijuana if it was passed by popular vote...