Marijuana as a Gateway Drug
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So-called gateway drugs are those believed to be drugs for beginners, or drugs that young people use which lead them to harder drugs later. The rationale for many marijuana laws has long been that marijuana is a gateway drug so that even if marijuana use is not a problem in itself, it is the beginning point for greater problems in the future. Other substances seen as having the potential to be gateway drugs include tobacco and alcohol. Some commentators argue that one or more of these substances serve a gateway function and that those who smoke, drink, or use marijuana are at risk for the use of harder drugs such as heroin, cocaine, or crack. Others point out that any relationship is tenuous and that those trying to prove a relationship are misusing statistics to show a cause-and-effect relationship where there is none. At most, they say, users of any drug or stimulant may have a psychological predilection so that the cause is in their psychology and character and not in the fact of the use of marijuana, alcohol, or tobacco. Many studies of the subject simply assume that marijuana is a gateway drug and analyze the issue accordingly. A recent study reported by Jenkins stated, for instance, The three variables which best predicted self reported drug use at grade 10 were (1) number of friends using gateway drugs, (2) self reported average grade, and (3) involvement in enjoyable extracurricular activities. The stepwise entry of the latter two variables accounted for a
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More than this, the idea that marijuana is a gateway drug may be a self-fulfilling prophecy rather than an objective fact:
Much is made of pot being a gateway drug that leads to further experimentation and addiction, but . . . most casual marijuana smokers don't progress to other drugs or become addicts. Except for powerfully and instantaneously reinforcing drugs like crack, heroin, and methamphetamine, it's not the particular substance one encounters that usually leads to addiction. Rather, it's a combination of risk factors . . . If marijuana is a gateway to hard drugs at all, it is most likely due to its illicit status. . . . (Clark 14).
The fear of marijuana as a gateway drug relates to the prevalence of its use and to the perception that it is a higher-order offense than either cigarette smoking or drinking. What emerges from an analysis of the history of substance abuse in this century is that the perception of what is or is not a gateway drug changes as different substance are abused, as is evident in the following statement:
It makes you stupid. It turns teenagers into ne'er do wells and juvenile delinquents. It ruins academic performance, stifles ambition, and impairs efficiency at work. It leads to the use
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Approximate Word count = 1794
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)
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