Further proof that Marijuana is Not a Gateway Drug

Earlier this year, we published an article which argued against the popular belief that marijuana is a gateway drug. The results of a study published in the American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse added some insight on this issue.  

The study found that teens smoke marijuana for very specific reasons. These specific reasons are the main drivers behind their decision to try other drugs. For example, teens who use marijuana because they are bored are more likely to also use cocaine, while those who use marijuana to achieve insight or understanding are more likely to try magic mushrooms.

Subjects of the study

The subjects of the study were high school seniors who were surveyed between 2000 and 2011. The teens who were surveyed said that they had used marijuana within the past 12 months.

The researchers based their conclusions from data gathered from Monitoring the Future, an ongoing study of the behaviors, attitudes and values of American high school students. Every year, approximately 15,000 high school seniors are assessed.

Researchers also analyzed the teens’ self-reported use of eight other drugs, including cocaine, crack, heroin, LSD, psychedelics, amphetamines, tranquilizers, and other narcotics.

Highlights of the study

The study published the following findings:

• Nearly one-third of the teens said they use marijuana to alleviate boredom. Those teens also were 43% more likely to try cocaine and 56% more likely to try a hallucinogen other than LSD.
• About one-fifth said they used marijuana to achieve insight or understanding. These teens were 51% more likely to try a hallucinogen other than LSD.
• One out of ten teens reported that they used marijuana to enhance the effects of other drugs. This reason indicated openness toward using any of the eight additional drugs.
• The teenagers who said they used marijuana to experiment actually had a decreased risk of using any of the eight other drugs.

Alcohol, not marijuana, is the gateway drug

President Obama has said that marijuana is less dangerous than alcohol in terms of its impact on the individual consumer. While arguing for its enforcement, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said that marijuana is a “gateway drug”. Recent data, however, proves that alcohol, not marijuana, is a gateway drug.

Data from the 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows that 60% of marijuana users end up trying other drugs. The survey, however, showed that 88% of drug users started with alcohol.

The data shows that 50% of people who drink alcohol do not try any other substances. The data also shows that 40% of people who use marijuana do not try any other substances. As such, marijuana is no more of a gateway drug than alcohol.

Marijuana has been shown to be 114 times less deadly than alcohol. The reason why the evidence behind this hypothesis is not scientific is because marijuana is categorized as a Schedule I substance. That prevents researchers from being able study the drug and its effects in recognized scientific environments.

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/articles/2015/07/10/marijuana-study-counters-gateway-theory

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Michael Berger is Managing Partner of StoneBridge Partners, LLC and Founder of Technical420.com. Prior to entering the cannabis industry, Michael was an Equity Research Analyst at Raymond James Financial covering the Energy Sector. Michael has been featured in publications such as The Street, Bloomberg, US Money News, and hosts various cannabis events across North America.

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