Johhny...if cannabis didn't exist at all, hard drug users would still find and use hard drugs. The reason that cannabis sometimes leads to hard drugs IS because cannabis, like hard drugs, is illegal...and that results in it being pushed by the same criminals who push hard drugs.

If you make it legal, the criminals are no longer in the picture, and the cannabis user does not encounter them, and is far less likely to be OFFERED the hard drugs.

It's that simple.

Cannabis doesn't lead to hard drugs...contact with criminal dealers leads to hard drugs. The important thing in life is your own attituded and who you hang out with...bad company leads to bad results.

Cannabis in itself is not the cause of the problem. Illegality of cannabis is the cause of the problem. If it were not illegal, it would be considered no more remarkable in people's lives than tea or coffee, in my opinion...and drinking too much coffee DOES badly damage some people's health. I gave up coffee 10 years ago, and it was the hardest struggle I ever had to quit something in my life. The benefits to my health were considerable.

I don't smoke anything, I barely drink at all, I take no drug except the very occasional aspirin for a headache, I avoid caffeine drinks, I look 15 to 20 years younger than most people my age, I don't appear to have any substance-related addictions, but I am in favour of legalizing the use of marijuana and I regard the argument that it "leads to hard drugs" as totally spurious and misguided, given what I have personally witnessed between the late 60's and now...during which I had the opportunity to witness thousands of people who casually or regularly used: cannabis, tobacco, alcohol, caffeine drink, and various other common drugs.

Hanging around drug dealers and hard drug users is what leads to hard drugs!

- LH