At Chacruna: How Cannabis and Other “Drugs” Can be Gateways to a Better Life

Amanda Reiman, Ph.D“Proud to be drug free,” “Red Ribbon Week,” “Just Say No,” “Users are Losers”… there was no absence of anti-drug messaging surrounding my youth in Carmel, Indiana, USA. Upon graduating high school, I thought cannabis, heroin, and cocaine were basically the same thing: evil substances that would lead to not only my downfall, but the downfall of my friends, family, and community. That perspective stayed with me, until reality hit. I met a group of friends who used drugs, all drugs, and they were good people, smart people, and experienced more harm at the hands of prohibition than the grip of illicit substances. The line between safe and dangerous, legal and illegal, started to fade... continue reading.