Why do people think marijuana is a gateway drug?

Question

This is totally untrue. In fact, researchers are looking into using marijuana to help crack addicts to quit. There are 40 million people in this country (U.S.) who have smoked marijuana for a period of their lives -- why aren't there tens of millions of heroin users, then? In Amsterdam, both marijuana use and heroin use went *down* after marijuana was decriminalized -- even though there was a short rise in cannabis use right after decriminalization. Unlike addictive drugs, marijuana causes almost no tolerance. Some people even report a reverse tolerance. That is, the longer they have used the less marijuana they need to get `high.' So users of marijuana do not usually get bored and `look for something more powerful'. If anything, marijuana keeps people from doing harder drugs.

The idea that using marijuana will lead you to use heroin or speed is called the `gateway theory' or the `stepping stone hypothesis. . . .

http://www.erowid.org/plants/cannabis/cannabis_faq1.shtml#3-10

Answer 1

You aren't supposed to promote illegal drugs on Answers.
Good thing you're not on the street though, right?

Answer 2

The reason for the criminalization of some drugs and not of others is due to the ignorance of the public and the fear of politicians to do something about it.

People have been so reduced to the fear of drugs that they've lost the ability to think outside of this frame of mind. I am not saying that all drugs should be legalized but I do think we have to be open to these discussions and evaluate the pros and cons.

The high price of drugs is largely due to it's illegality. Decriminalization would make prices go way down thus reducing the need to commit crimes to finance the use by addicts.
It would also increase the government's tax revenue.
Decriminalization would also I believe make it less likely for some personalities to try these drugs because a lot of the fun lies in doing something that is forbidden.

As you can see I am very open-minded. I wish people were more willing to discuss these issues in a serious matter instead of holding on to their prejudices. The Netherlands has legalized the use of marijuana and has had positive results, the heroin addicts can get their fix for free also so that reduces again the need to go rob someone.

Remember, even Coca-Cola's active ingredient used to be 10 mgs of cocaine. So ideas about drugs can change over time from good to bad and from bad to good as in the Netherlands.

Answer 3

I started with marijuana in the late 1970s, then gatewayed on to four forms of cocaine, three forms of methamphetamine, and let's give honorable mention to heroin & quaaludes. I gave up everything but marijuana by 1990 (though quaaludes gave up on me when they stopped manufacturing it), and finally gave up marijuana about 18 months ago.

Yeah, it's a gateway drug - but only if you let it, and mainly because it's illegal which makes other illegal drugs that much more tempting. Many people start with marijuana and never try any other drugs, and if I had to do it all over again I'd stick to marijuana only and never touch the other stuff.

Answer 4

I do not use marijuana or any other illegal drug. And, I do not drink alcoholic stuff.

However, I did a term paper on marijuana back some years ago. Marijuana was routinely used by doctors as a tranquilizer before 1930's. It was -- and is -- known to be harmless, especially when compared to any alcholic beverage.

This nation passed an amendment to the constitution, declaring all alcoholic beverages to be illegal. This immediately created a large amount of organized crime which is still with us today.

After while, they realized prohibition was a mistake. So, they repealed that amendment.

As they did, the whiskey companies realized they had to stiff the competition, so they spent millions of dollars telling everyone that marijuana turned people into raging killers. People are generally not to brilliant, so they believed it.

As time passed, scientists proved it did not turn anyone into raging killers. So, the anti's changed their story, and have kept changing it to these days. Um, oh, yeah, using pot gets you started on the really bad stuff. Lies!! (A greater percentage of hard drug users drank their mothers milk, or ate peanut butter than started on pot.)

Um, oh, yeah, pot gives you lung cancer. Lies!!

Um, oh, yeah, pot causes you to become demotivated and stop working. Lies!!

Two major historical studies showed that marijuana was so much less harmful than booze that it was a mistake to force people off pot and on to booze.

1. the India Hemp Drug commission, around 1894.

2.Mayor La Guardia in NYC in the 1920's

I am not in either group, but it makes me sick to see the booze-heads shooting and arresting and destroying the pot-heads.

There is only one reason to avoid pot today.

1. It is illegal, period. This causes a lot of problems, for example you can be arrested and not allowed many types of employment. And, also you buy it from criminals who lace it with the really nasty stuff hoping to get you addicted to something really expensive.


This war on pot is insane and disgusting, especially coming from the boozers.

Answer 5

It is considered a gateway drug because people who use cocaine, heroin, PCP, extacy, Speed or any other illegal drug to get high, started off with Marijuana. . Nobody injects heroin into their blood before trying marijuana. Ofcourse not everyone who has tried marijuana becomes a coke addict or anything like that. But they always start off with marijuana.

Answer 6

well i smoked pot for 20 years or more.
i never did any other drugs nor did my husband.
we would roll a joint after dinner and relax out side together.
but it made me crazy hungrey !!! i gained several pounds.
i wasnt sure if it was what god would want,so i stopped.
i burned up a whole quarter bag in a brown paper sack.
i didnt try to breathe it in either ha ha .
at times iam tempted due to stress after work etc, but havent smoked in over a year .
i would ..i cant say i never will.
but no its not a gateway drug.
maybe some who do smoke marajuana are at partys with other drugs etc and are stupid enough to try them and maybe get hooked. like i was offered cocaine twice. but no way.!! it can kill some people on the first try !!
pot has made me paranoid like if i was somewhere that i wasnt supposed to be. peeping out the shades !! lol.
but i wish pot was legal. i have never been a pot head. no sense in doing it all day. id never smoke and go to work, nor drive, well i did once, it was laced!! i was lost !! only get it from people u know u can trust.

Answer 7

yet another pot head trying to justify what they do as being right. look "weed" causes different people to do different things, sure the ones that used pot first then went one to destroy their lives with harder more addictive drugs are not going to step forward (or can't because they are dead) and say hey look at me I'm a heroin addict and i like it. on the other hand someone who did not get addicted might be willing to come forward so it is safe to assume that your little statistics may not be a good representative of the whole story.

Answer 8

Hey, I smoke a joint every once in awhile, and I don't want to do anything stronger. "The idea that using marijuana will lead you to use heroin or speed is totally ******. If anything, marijuana keeps people from doing harder drugs.

Answer 9

Everything they have said has proven untrue reguarding the evils of marijuana. Will that stop them? hell no, prohibition just got a new name "War on Drugs" and the first casualty of this war was the truth. Please read Jack Herer's book " The Emperor Wears No Clothes" it is full of info about why it's illegal and how it got that way.

Answer 10

It really depends on how you define "gateway".

If you use the definition that anyone who uses marijuana will then go
on to use something nastier, clearly it isn't. However, what percentage of
people do?

What is an acceptable percentage?

Answer 11

It's called a gateway drug because it accustoms you to buying and using illegal substances. Doing something illegally is a hurdle to get over for most people. Once you've bought and used marijuana illegally, how is it different to buy and use cocaine illegally? The gateway is to illegal substance abuse, not the effect on the body.