And the worst, WORST thing about the "gateway drug" theory is that it's entirely based on marijuana being illegal in the first place.

See, since pot is illegal you end up spending time dealing with guys who make a personal business out of selling it... And they frequently deal in other, more harmful drugs. I bet I'm not the only one who's had to deal with offers for harder stuff (coke and xanax mainly) when I'm just trying to find a bit of good herb.

The government will always have a "gateway drug" argument while they keep marijuana illegal, because you're forced to deal with unregulated, unrestricted black market dealers. And that increases the chances that young people will try the harder stuff just out of curiousity and because someone is offering.

If marijuana was legal, it would be like buying a pack of cigarettes at the corner store... when was the last time the guy behind the counter offered you a gram of coke or a handful of benzos to go with your cigarettes?