Gateway Drug?

[beachguy in thongs]

You have to start reading erowid.

Marijuana Myths, Claim No. 13

MARIJUANA IS A "GATEWAY" TO THE USE OF OTHER DRUGS

Advocates of marijuana prohibition claim that even if marijuana itself causes minimal harm, it is a dangerous substance because it leads to the use of "harder drugs" such as heroin, LSD, and cocaine.

THE FACTS

Most users of heroin, LSD and cocaine have used marijuana. However, most marijuana users never use another illegal drug.

Over time, there has been no consistent relationship between the use patterns of various drugs. 83

As marijuana use increased in the 1960s and 1970s, heroin use declined. And, when marijuana use declined in the 1980s, heroin use remained fairly stable.

For the past 20 years, as marijuana use-rates fluctuated, the use of LSD hardly changed at all.

Cocaine use increased in the early 1980s as marijuana use was declining. During the late 1980s, both marijuana and cocaine declined. During the last few years, cocaine use has continued to decline as marijuana use has increased slightly.

In 1994, less than 16% of high school seniors who had ever tried marijuana had ever tried cocaine - the lowest percentage ever recorded. In fact, as shown below, the proportion of marijuana users trying cocaine has declined steadily since 1986, when a high of more than 33% was recorded.

Proportion of Marijuana Users Ever Trying Cocaine

High School Seniors, 1975-1994 84

1975: 19% 1980: 27% 1985: 31% 1990: 22%
1976: 19% 1981: 28% 1986: 33% 1991: 22%
1977: 20% 1982: 27% 1987: 30% 1992: 18%
1978: 22% 1983: 28% 1988: 26% 1993: 17%
1979: 25% 1984: 29% 1989: 23% 1994: 16%

In short, there is no inevitable relationship between the use of marijuana and other drugs. This fact is supported by data from other countries. In the Netherlands, for example, although marijuana prevalence among young people increased during the past decade, cocaine use decreased - and remains considerably lower than in the United States. Whereas approximately 16% of youthful marijuana users in the U.S. have tried cocaine, the comparable figure for Dutch youth is 1.8 percent. 85 Indeed, the Dutch policy of allowing marijuana to be purchased openly in government-regulated "coffee shops" was designed specifically to separate young marijuana users from illegal markets where heroin and cocaine are sold. 86

-References
83. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Household Survey on Drug Abuse: Main Findings 1990; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Preliminary Estimates from the 1993 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse.

84. Johnston, L.D. et al, Monitoring the Future, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Institute for Social Research (1994).

85. Cohen, P.D.A., Cannabisgebruikers in Amsterdam, Jaarbeurs Congrescentrum Utrecht (1995).

86. Leuw, E. and Marshall, I.H. (eds)., Between Prohibition and Legalization: The Dutch Experiment in Drug Policy, Amsterdam: Kugler Publications (1994)

[graph]

I think it's already been said, but I gotta need to drive in the point.


Marijuana's a gateway drug because it's illegal. Many people come to the conclusion that since weed's illegal but not that bad, other drugs can't be as bad as they say as well.

I think alcohol is the worst gateway drug. I mean, the only time I've done hard drugs alcohol was involved. A lot. What a great night that was.

[orangeman]

I completly agree that marijuana is a gateway drug. Once you smoke it you realize that drugs aren't "bad". Post your opinions. And non-biased ones i know you can be very biased twords the good effects of marijuana and just completly push away the bad ones but we all smoke it we know the secrets you dont have to lie.

First off marijuana isnt a drug, it's a plant that produces psychoactive glands that also serves a purpose of keeping insects off of the flowers. Why it gets us high? I dont know but I can tell you that me and almost everyone on this forum is a prime example of why marijuana is NOT a gateway drug. I will stick with marijuana till I die. I've been doin it since 13 and you dont see me going around asking for crack rocks and heroin and shit like that. I dont wanna be an addictive fuck, fuck up half my life, have to go thru detox and a fucking embarassing rehab program. So why would I go off and try something else? It has no bad effects on me and I DO realize other drugs are bad...for example there are quite a few celebs that died from other drugs, like ODB died from an overdose of cocaine and a perscription drug. Marijuana doesnt kill and it doesnt send your life downhill. Fuck off, get banned, thank you .

[Reefer Rogue]

C'mon guys, this gateway theory has been disproven since ages ago.

[beachguy in thongs]

And it shuts down the receptors that get you addicted to those drugs "on the other side of the gate".

[daima]

Marijuana was the first "drug" I ever tried. Since then I have tried almost anyything I can get my hands on. I do feel that I would probably never have done any of the others had I not done marijuana in the first place. I DONT, however, beleive that anyone who smokes will eventually move on to "harder" drugs.

I agree with you on the part about realizing that that these things arent really bad as long as youre smart about them. Good thread, im interested to see what some of the other people have to say. :thumbsup:

MMMM i am a firm believer in the fact that the first drugs we start out with are usually, caffeine, asprin, tobacco, cough syrup, etc etc. Our foods are full of drugs/chemicals.

dai*ma:stoned:

[3rdEyeVision]

Its basically impossible for weed to be a gateway drug, thats just a crappy ecxuse for all the pansy's that cant admit THEY have a problem with drugs.......its ALL your personalitie not weed. If weed was a gateway drug how did you get started smoking it in the first place.....I highly doubt you were pressured to smoke weed till you like it. You smoke weed cause you like "drugs", its not weed leading to other drugs its certain people that cant handle temptation and whatnot. Weed isnt a powerfull enough addiction to make you smoke crack when you've smoked your 1/8, the people who think its a gateway drug just use it as a excuse, if they didnt start smoking weed everyday they would have become alchoholics or something it just your personality.....get over it

[kracks]

for me extacy was a gate way drug. i had tried alcohol before pot, put i loved pot for a long time before trying x. it was e that made me rally interested in drugs, as it was a completely different expirience, and so i went on to try mushrooms (which before i though as a 'nasty' hallucinogen) turns out i fucking love tripping, so i use them from time to time. if i had not tried it i might have never gone to Erowid.com!

[Tray7]

It's not the gateway drug... That's just what people who have no self controll say to make themselves feel better. I have always thought .. hmm, yeah, I'll probably smoke weed some day and maybe a little shroom here or there.. but I will never do cocaine or X or anything like that. To this day I still haven't had the urge to have a stronger "fix". So, I guess it depends on the person. Just goes to show how week some poeple are.

[3rdEyeVision]

ya exactly I smoked for the first time in grade 3 or 4 and started smoking everyday in grade 5, the worst drug Ive done is mush and Ive only done it three times, I probably wont even do it anymore because I like being in total controll of my head and what im thinking and stuff......not a gateway drug just a mild one that some people choose to start with.