Jumping on the budwagon... While I agree with your overall point, actually, Zach, you may also find that a more likely gateway is cigarettes. In fact, all of those junkies out there… ex-junkies, ex-methheads, ex-coke fiends, alcoholics etc.… you see them at that AA or NA meeting… and besides mackin down the donuts (sugar is a poor man's high) and the caffeine, they'll need a smoke break. All of the alcoholics and speed freaks I grew up with, whether they still drink or snort or not, still smoke cigarettes. I know real research is a lot of hard work (not your favorite propagandistic blog, but real research), but a lot of people cannot get past the “just say no” propaganda of the Reagan era, and when they finally see the history of drug policy in this country, they realize that they have been played not only by the legalized drug pushers who are subsidized for keeping us doped up with nicotine and alcohol, but also have had their own industry protected by outlawing other products that would be in competition, and marijuana was specifically targeted for that, especially by DuPont, who didn't want hemp in competition with his new petroleum-based product nylon, even though it was more expensive and not as strong. So he got his buddies in Congress to pass a law outlawing all cannabis products and went on a campaign across white America propagandizing that marijuana was going to make black jazz musicians rape white women. Sad. Folks, we need to do some reading about where we've been.
First things first RIP Andy and I hope his family is coping well with his death. Secondly to put all of this gateway business to rest. There really is no gateway drug period. You are either trying different drugs out of curiosity or you are an addict even before picking up a drink or a drug. Speaking from experience here, as I'm almost six years clean ,and I was a total garbage head. I did everything and anything you put in front of me. Truth be told Andy dying is just plain sad, regardless of what it was from.
i wish we dealt with drug issues as a medical problem, and not a moral or legal issue. i think we'd all be happier with the results. good luck to you crest.
First I'd like to address the guy trying to get this thread locked- We are having a discussion, and nothing else. Nobody's talking ****, nor is there any unnecessary flaming going on. Isn't that the point of a forum? Now Zach, I agree with you in that most "crackheads" don't do weed, but for different reasons. Here on the East Coast, weed is expensive, and it's mostly the spoiled high school kids that can afford it. Inner city areas like Baltimore however are filled with people who probably aren't very happy with their life, have very low income, and want a more intense high for cheaper. A 30 year old homeless guy living behind a dumpster isn't going to spend $20 on something that will get him buzzed for a few hours (don't quote me on prices, I don't know them exactly). Something like crack however, is cheaper for the amount, more easily accessible, and will be a lot stronger. When I say weed is a "gateway drug", I'm talking about people like that who were probably exposed to pot and alcohol at a young age, and it eventually led them to harder stuff because of costs and their mental state the time. Sure, there are definitely a ton of people who smoke weed all the time and never move on to something stronger, but those are normally the guys who are either 1-Smart, and probably have a decent income, or 2-Are satisfied with the high and mostly do it for the social aspect. And yes, I totally agree that the school system is messed up for grouping marijuana with harder drugs. While it should definitely be enforced that it's bad for you and shouldn't be used to cope with daily struggles, teachers should tell kids about the true risks of the drug, and nothing more. Lies will only anger the kids, and in return they end up doing it just to spite their elders. This then leads to them believing that everything health professionals tell them about drugs is a lie, and all interests of self preservation are lost in their ignorant assumption that drugs aren't unhealthy. I've seen it happen, and I know people who still think eating a burger is worse than smoking a joint, all because the of the schools vain attempts to scare them out of drugs.
Yeah, I agree with that. I think teachers and the system should definately promote clean living for the youth of america for sure... I am not certain of this, but in CA where I live, I feel like there is a much smaller percentage of the young population that smoke pot. Everytime i visit home, every younger person I see while visiting is still into pot big time. They all have it. They all use it. Its strange. Its so out in the open to for a place that makes it so illegal. Its decriminalized here, legal and easily accessable, however you dont see teenagers walking around smoking joints and all that stuff. Its strange that even though its accepted and basically legal, that does NOT make the kids around here all stoners. Its like the opposite. Half of the fun of it for the kids is because they know they shouldnt be doing it. The glamour is removed out here, so honestly, most young surfers and stuff just simply dont use it.... I think I know a lot less people here that smoke than back home. So that is a good sign in my opinion... I was just trying to point the finger at booze first and foremost, because I bet most people on this forum will attest that they tried their first alcoholic beverage before their first joint. So if you consider things gateways, that would be a huge one... I dont quit agree, but it could be the case. I am having my first child very soon and I am thinking of how to explain things to my children as they grow older, while being honest and the least hypocritical as possible so my kids dont think im a lying alarmist by age 13... But the general teaching on anti-pot in this nation should be simple. Children develop ALL THE WAY up through the age of 18 and even further. If youths start smoking pot before the ages or 20 or so, they are STUNTING their brains development. This is a fact about weed. If used to early in life, you could become chemically imbalanced as a result. Your emotions are not fully developed. You are litterally handicapping yourself if you choose to use most substances up to that point.... So, rather then telling kids that pot will kill them, they need to understand that their brains are not fully developed and that they are stunting their mental growth which is irreversable... Its not always the case, but simple scare tactics like that are far more honest. Not to mention the fact that in 49 states, you will get slapped with felony charges for pot. You could ruin your life that way easily... So, the sh** is illegal first of all. So illegal activity from any children or teenagers should be discouraged by parents. And let them know the potential dangers of their human development if they abuse marijuana at a young age.... But anyway, RIP ANDY for sure. I got way off topic, but hey what better place to talk it out than a forum....
I know nothing of Andy's personal life, nor am i a doctor. But if he partied a little bit, so what. If he was a heavy user then he probably would have died a lot sooner. Knowing he had a heart problem hits home with me. I have an enlarged heart, and i am lucky to be typing this right now.
Ohh, and how about we also stop diagnosing 15 year old with "depression" and drugging them out while their brains arent fully developed. HEY KIDS, being depressed at age 15 is all part of being age 15. Thats life. You dont need drugs, you need a hobby. Its insane the amount of chemicals doctos prescribe and that parents allow. I mean, teaching our kids that the answer to life is in a pill at such young age is the biggest shame in our nation now. Such a large portion of young people should not require chemical assistance to get through day to day life. Its different if you are 40 and suicidal. You are fully developed and probably need some serious help.... But I am far more afraid of what is being dished out to kids in a "legal" format than whats is accessable at their high school parties. I know the USA loves their drugs, but those adults that are popping pills everyday to get through their personality "disorders" and wagging their fingers at other drug users are crazy to me... But hey, i think most of us self medicate in our own ways sometimes. You get bummed out one day, ya have a few beers with friends, and you feel better. Its the same idea. But too much of anything is dangers. Anything. Too much booze. Too much pop. Too many happy pills whatever... Life in america!
Whoa whoa whoa, I just now saw this. Its from a movie, Jack-off. ... And you are the least fun member of swellinfo. I bet you are a high school counselor or ben stiens stunt double. Maybe a professional whistle blower? Advocate of surfing restrictions? Hater of personal freedoms... you get where I am headed.
oh.oops.either way im none of the above and couldnt care less about being a fun member of swellinfo. one of the happiest people ever actually i just have my opinions like everyone else. maybe you guys need to realize that kids read this stuff and by spouting about how cool it is to smoke pot you are sending a bs message out. dont give a **** about what you do just that burnin and spittn it all over dont make you cool or the most fun.peace,and chicken grease.
i read that andy was addicted to painkillers at some point, and that in the autopsy they found traces of methadone. now methadone most of the time is given to addicts as a surrogate for harder opiates (heroin, oxycontin, etc). the question that is raised for me is was he prescribed painkillers earlier on? I say this is because thats what happened with me. \r\n\r\nin high school i tried booze then weed shortly after, not going crazy with either one but typical high school experimentation basically. I never really sought out to try anything else (other than psychedelics but thats a different story IMO), even when there was plenty of people around doing lines of blow at parties. the harder drug werent really my scene at all. this all changed when i got in a REALLY bad car accident my senior year where i broke five vertabrae, a wrist, and had internal injuries. i was put on IV opiates in the hospital, then put on oxycontin for the remainder of the year. i had ZERO intentions of abusing it and did not want to end up an addict whatsoever. unfortunately these drugs, whether administered by prescription or illegally are a very slippery slope. soon enough i found myself a legally prescribed addict, and by the time the doctor said it was time for me to get off, it was very hard for me to NOT do these drugs. i went about a month before the pervasiveness of these painkillers got the best of me. i was pretty much over the physical withdrawls but certainly not the mental ones. painkillers soon gave way to snorting oxycontin, which over a couple years led me to try heroin by coincidence when i was very sick from withdrawl. another year or so and thousands and thousands of dollars later i began injecting and found myself going in a downward spiral REAL fast. one day (my birthday) i decided i had enough, i never sought out to become like this, i never started doing these drugs cause i wanted to get ****ed up with my friends, or i wanted to escape. it just wasnt me. so i was referred to a suboxone (like methadone but has a drug in it which prevents other opiates from even working) clinic. this was a miracle cure for me, even after the first week i was a million times more stable; i began living a normal life again. two years later im clean and living life like painkillers/opiates never even invaded my life. its all about intentions and willpower. i get no cravings anymore and the thought that i used to shoot that dirt into my veins makes me sick. it was a bad part of my life, but i have no regrets. i learned alot about myself and the way people can become weak through dependency, and now i am stronger because of the experience. \r\n\r\nthis kind of thing is really sad and is happening more and more, these pharmaceutical companies make money from addicts, through legal prescriptions and illegal drug use. while opiate painkillers are necessary in certain medical scenarios its really a catch-22, and no one seems to be able to warn the patients about addiction enough. makes me wonder if andy was prescribed painkillers and that led him down a bad path. you see more and more celebrities turning up with ODs or in rehab because of drugs like oxy. drug addiction has no prejudices or boundaries between people at all. \r\n\r\ntl;dr-not all addicts end up that way because they were trying to get ****ed up or party or escape. \r\n
'happiest people ever'? how could someone ever know that? makes me question your judgement about everything else....
The Bob Saget quote was from Half Baked, correct? Funny stuff. Drug addiction of anykind......not funny. Debasahh, good on ya mate. Althought I was fortunate enough not to be injured seriously enough to walk that path, a good number of my friends never made it out of their spiral. I saw a Nat Geo special on the launch of Oxycontin in West Virginia. Scary.
I agree with what your laying down, Zach...the whole gateway concept is a farse. what happened to caffiene, tobacco & alcohol? I can almost 100% guarantee that all the hard drug users used one of these before they got hooked on coke, speed or meth... Why aren't these 3 gateway drugs? Truth is, we hated the fact that Mexicans were crossing the border and their drug of choice was Marijauna, so with the combination of the Harrison Act of 1914 and the Marihuana Act of 1937, marijuana became illegal. I guess the wealthy lawmakers thought maybe the Mexicans would go away once it was illegal....well, that worked Debassah, I'm sorry you had to go through that...but I'm glad you made it out...most people don't...keep the stoke... i just want to say two more things: 1.) R.I.P. Andy & 2.) surfing gives me the best kind of high I can get...the stoke I get after a good sesh IMO is better than any feeling I could get from a drug.
...and i get on my knees and pray, we won't get fooled again..... exactly even radio blowhards who think that all drug users should be in jail can't resist the hillbilly heroin.... how about we stop wasting money and lives enforcing laws that cannot be enforced and start treating the problem. i know...crazy thinking
The guy had talent and was one of the best surfers to ever live. The Dr. hired by Billabng and the family made that conculsion. The statment that was released was damage control public relations. It would be difficult to believe the Xanax, methadone, and methamphetamine found in his system had nothing at all to due with his death. His sponsors, surf industries, family and frined should be speaking out about the terrible effects of drug use instead of trying to hide it. ...it may help other people before its too late.
