re: Marijuana - the gateway drug

I tried weed years before I ever drank beer. I then had an alcohol problem for over 10 years once I started.

I 100% believe based on personal experience that alcohol is physically and mentally harmful. Deeply harmful. A hangover isn't just an annoying side effect of drinking too much. Blacking out shouldn't just be a silly thing that happens on weekends and during football games. Your body is responding to and telling you something in both cases.

As paradoxical as it is, weed can make me anxious and paranoid, but it simultaneously makes me extremely meditative, reflective, and brings me peace. I feel like it just reveals what's already inside my mind, but at a much deeper level. I don't feel like it's making me dumber no matter what anyone tries to claim.

It's mind boggling how alcohol and tobacco are the two legal recreational drugs.