s***@loosek.not
2009-05-29 14:37:11 UTC
Don't Blame Pot -- There's No Such Thing as a "Gateway Drug"
By Scott Morgan, DRCNet. Posted May 29, 2009.
Anti-drug zealots created the "gateway" theory from thin air. And it's
easily refuted: most marijuana users just don't use other drugs.
The surging debate surrounding the legalization of marijuana has
brought with it the resurrection of the "gateway theory," which
alleges that experimenting with marijuana leads to the use of harder
drugs like cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine. The gateway debate was
reborn last week, thanks to a video of FBI director Robert Mueller
testifying before Congress that marijuana should be illegal because it
leads to more dangerous drug use.
Although the Mueller video has provoked amusement on pot-friendly
websites, the unfortunate reality is that the "gateway drug" stigma
continues to present an impediment to the reform of marijuana laws. A
new Rasmussen poll found that a large percentage of Americans believe
the gateway argument:
The new survey also shows that nearly half of voters (46%) believe
marijuana use leads to use of harder drugs. Thirty-seven percent (37%)
do not see marijuana as a "gateway" drug.
Revealingly, the percentage who opposed marijuana legalization and the
percentage who believed in the gateway theory were identical, both
coming in at exactly 46%. As we look for ways to persuade those who
remain opposed to marijuana reform, it's clearly in our interest to
work towards demolishing the pernicious gateway theory once and for
all. Let's take a look at what the data shows.
In 1999, the National Institute on Drug Abuse commissioned a major
study on medical marijuana conducted by the venerable Institute of
Medicine, which included an examination of marijuana's potential to
lead to other drug use. In simple terms, the researchers explained why
the gateway theory was unfounded:
Patterns in progression of drug use from adolescence to adulthood are
strikingly regular. Because it is the most widely used illicit drug,
marijuana is predictably the first illicit drug most people encounter.
Not surprisingly, most users of other illicit drugs have used
marijuana first. In fact, most drug users begin with alcohol and
nicotine before marijuana -- usually before they are of legal age.
There is no conclusive evidence that the drug effects of marijuana are
causally linked to the subsequent abuse of other illicit drugs.
In 2006, the University of Pittsburgh released a more thorough study
in which researchers spent 12 years tracking a group of subjects from
adolescence into adulthood and documented the initiation and
progression of their drug use. The researchers found that the gateway
theory was not only wrong, but also harmful to properly understanding
and addressing drug abuse:
This evidence supports whats known as the common liability model, an
emerging theory that states the likelihood that someone will
transition to the use of illegal drugs is determined not by the
preceding use of a particular drug but instead by the users
individual tendencies and environmental circumstances.
The emphasis on the drugs themselves, rather than other, more
important factors that shape a persons behavior, has been detrimental
to drug policy and prevention programs, Dr. Tarter said. To become
more effective in our efforts to fight drug abuse, we should devote
more attention to interventions that address these issues,
particularly to parenting skills that shape the childs behavior as
well as peer and neighborhood environments.
Of course, the simplest refutation of the gateway theory is the basic
fact that most marijuana users just don't use other drugs. As the
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reports:
More than 100 million Americans have tried marijuana; 14.4 million
Americans are estimated to be "past-month" users. Yet there are only
an estimated 2,075,000 "past-month" users of cocaine and 153,000
"past-month" users of heroin. [DrugWarFacts]
Clearly, people who use marijuana overwhelmingly do not move on to
other drug use. That's why the number of people who use marijuana will
always be more than 10 times greater than the number of people who use
cocaine, heroin, etc. The fact that marijuana users rarely become
involved in other drug use is right here in front of us.
Unfortunately, there is one important way in which marijuana use can
result in exposure to other more dangerous drugs. Laws against
marijuana have created an unregulated black market, in which criminals
control the supply and may attempt to market more dangerous drugs to
people who just want marijuana. As the Journal of the American Medical
Association reported in 2003:
Alternatively, experience with and subsequent access to cannabis use
may provide individuals with access to other drugs as they come into
contact with drug dealers. This argument provided a strong impetus for
the Netherlands to effectively decriminalize cannabis use in an
attempt to separate cannabis from the hard drug market. This strategy
may have been partially successful as rates of cocaine use among those
who have used cannabis are lower in the Netherlands than in the United
States."
Ironically, the only real gateway that exists is created by marijuana
prohibition, yet proponents of harsh marijuana laws cynically cite the
damage they've caused as evidence that the drug itself is acutely
harmful. It's truly the height of absurdity, yet it persists despite
the mountain of categorical data I've outlined above.
The point here isnt just that marijuana isnt actually a "gateway
drug," but that there really is no such thing as a gateway drug to
begin with. The term was invented by hysterical anti-drug zealots for
the specific purpose of linking marijuana with harmful outcomes that
couldnt otherwise be established. Everyone knows marijuana is
completely non-lethal, but if it leads to sticking needles in your
arm, anything's possible. Through repeated use, the term began to
stick and we're now confronted with a marijuana legalization debate in
which 46% of the country believes an antiquated, widely-refuted
fabrication that erroneously renders marijuana as deadly and
unpredictable as anything a scared parent can imagine.
It's perfectly typical of the unhinged drug war demagogues that one of
their most popular anti-pot propaganda points doesn't even actually
have anything to do with pot. Their tireless reliance on such nonsense
may go a long way towards explaining why support for legalization is
growing faster than ever before.
The world's leaders should be required to do 3 joints each morning,
before they leave for work. A huge bong would best be installed at
each of their desks, with an ample supply of guest tubes.
By Scott Morgan, DRCNet. Posted May 29, 2009.
Anti-drug zealots created the "gateway" theory from thin air. And it's
easily refuted: most marijuana users just don't use other drugs.
The surging debate surrounding the legalization of marijuana has
brought with it the resurrection of the "gateway theory," which
alleges that experimenting with marijuana leads to the use of harder
drugs like cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine. The gateway debate was
reborn last week, thanks to a video of FBI director Robert Mueller
testifying before Congress that marijuana should be illegal because it
leads to more dangerous drug use.
Although the Mueller video has provoked amusement on pot-friendly
websites, the unfortunate reality is that the "gateway drug" stigma
continues to present an impediment to the reform of marijuana laws. A
new Rasmussen poll found that a large percentage of Americans believe
the gateway argument:
The new survey also shows that nearly half of voters (46%) believe
marijuana use leads to use of harder drugs. Thirty-seven percent (37%)
do not see marijuana as a "gateway" drug.
Revealingly, the percentage who opposed marijuana legalization and the
percentage who believed in the gateway theory were identical, both
coming in at exactly 46%. As we look for ways to persuade those who
remain opposed to marijuana reform, it's clearly in our interest to
work towards demolishing the pernicious gateway theory once and for
all. Let's take a look at what the data shows.
In 1999, the National Institute on Drug Abuse commissioned a major
study on medical marijuana conducted by the venerable Institute of
Medicine, which included an examination of marijuana's potential to
lead to other drug use. In simple terms, the researchers explained why
the gateway theory was unfounded:
Patterns in progression of drug use from adolescence to adulthood are
strikingly regular. Because it is the most widely used illicit drug,
marijuana is predictably the first illicit drug most people encounter.
Not surprisingly, most users of other illicit drugs have used
marijuana first. In fact, most drug users begin with alcohol and
nicotine before marijuana -- usually before they are of legal age.
There is no conclusive evidence that the drug effects of marijuana are
causally linked to the subsequent abuse of other illicit drugs.
In 2006, the University of Pittsburgh released a more thorough study
in which researchers spent 12 years tracking a group of subjects from
adolescence into adulthood and documented the initiation and
progression of their drug use. The researchers found that the gateway
theory was not only wrong, but also harmful to properly understanding
and addressing drug abuse:
This evidence supports whats known as the common liability model, an
emerging theory that states the likelihood that someone will
transition to the use of illegal drugs is determined not by the
preceding use of a particular drug but instead by the users
individual tendencies and environmental circumstances.
The emphasis on the drugs themselves, rather than other, more
important factors that shape a persons behavior, has been detrimental
to drug policy and prevention programs, Dr. Tarter said. To become
more effective in our efforts to fight drug abuse, we should devote
more attention to interventions that address these issues,
particularly to parenting skills that shape the childs behavior as
well as peer and neighborhood environments.
Of course, the simplest refutation of the gateway theory is the basic
fact that most marijuana users just don't use other drugs. As the
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reports:
More than 100 million Americans have tried marijuana; 14.4 million
Americans are estimated to be "past-month" users. Yet there are only
an estimated 2,075,000 "past-month" users of cocaine and 153,000
"past-month" users of heroin. [DrugWarFacts]
Clearly, people who use marijuana overwhelmingly do not move on to
other drug use. That's why the number of people who use marijuana will
always be more than 10 times greater than the number of people who use
cocaine, heroin, etc. The fact that marijuana users rarely become
involved in other drug use is right here in front of us.
Unfortunately, there is one important way in which marijuana use can
result in exposure to other more dangerous drugs. Laws against
marijuana have created an unregulated black market, in which criminals
control the supply and may attempt to market more dangerous drugs to
people who just want marijuana. As the Journal of the American Medical
Association reported in 2003:
Alternatively, experience with and subsequent access to cannabis use
may provide individuals with access to other drugs as they come into
contact with drug dealers. This argument provided a strong impetus for
the Netherlands to effectively decriminalize cannabis use in an
attempt to separate cannabis from the hard drug market. This strategy
may have been partially successful as rates of cocaine use among those
who have used cannabis are lower in the Netherlands than in the United
States."
Ironically, the only real gateway that exists is created by marijuana
prohibition, yet proponents of harsh marijuana laws cynically cite the
damage they've caused as evidence that the drug itself is acutely
harmful. It's truly the height of absurdity, yet it persists despite
the mountain of categorical data I've outlined above.
The point here isnt just that marijuana isnt actually a "gateway
drug," but that there really is no such thing as a gateway drug to
begin with. The term was invented by hysterical anti-drug zealots for
the specific purpose of linking marijuana with harmful outcomes that
couldnt otherwise be established. Everyone knows marijuana is
completely non-lethal, but if it leads to sticking needles in your
arm, anything's possible. Through repeated use, the term began to
stick and we're now confronted with a marijuana legalization debate in
which 46% of the country believes an antiquated, widely-refuted
fabrication that erroneously renders marijuana as deadly and
unpredictable as anything a scared parent can imagine.
It's perfectly typical of the unhinged drug war demagogues that one of
their most popular anti-pot propaganda points doesn't even actually
have anything to do with pot. Their tireless reliance on such nonsense
may go a long way towards explaining why support for legalization is
growing faster than ever before.
The world's leaders should be required to do 3 joints each morning,
before they leave for work. A huge bong would best be installed at
each of their desks, with an ample supply of guest tubes.