Author: John Carter

What Is a Gateway Drug? Marijuana, Alcohol & Other Drugs

The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse found that teens who use gateway drugs are 266 times more likely to develop a cocaine addiction than those who do not. Critics also say the gateway drug theory is flawed because it often relies on animal studies. They also say that drug use rates in other countries aren’t affected by the prevalence of marijuana. There’s also evidence that genetic differences at birth may increase a person’s risk of drug use.

Thegateway drug theorystates that when a teenager is exposed to a legal drug like alcohol, tobacco or marijuana (in some states), the exposure may lead them to use harder drugs or illicit drugs. Other forms of the theory state that someone is more likely to use hard drugs just because they were exposed to a gateway drug. Gateway drugs are often overlooked because many are part of everyday life across the country.

Setting the Scene for Substance Use

These studies reveal that the use of gateway drugs may not only increase the risk of any drug use, but they may increase the risk of specific types of substance abuse. There were 3.5 million new users of marijuana in the United States in 2019 and about 9,500 initiate marijuana every day. More than 48.2 million people said they used marijuana in the past year. The contention is that marijuana increases tolerance for stronger drugs. The International Journal of Drug Policy found that nearly 45 percent of regular marijuana users also used other illicit drugs later in life.

  1. According to the theory, a gateway drug acts like a “gate” into a courtyard of further drug use and more gates.
  2. The theory bases itself on drug use patterns of the United States and not other countries.
  3. There’s long been a theory about “gateway drugs” and how they serve as common pathways to “hard” addictions.
  4. Teenagers who try drugs are much more likely to develop a substance use disorder (SUD) in the future than those who wait until adulthood.
  5. Although no evidence confirms the gateway drugs theory, many trends lend credence to it.
  6. Chemicals from marijuana can be passed to the baby through breast milk.

Marijuana: The First Gateway Drug

Although the benefits of quitting are greater the earlier in life that an individual quits, the United States Surgeon General report (2020) confirms that it is never too late to quit smoking. Even persons who have smoked for many years can experience substantial health and financial benefits if they stop smoking. Cigarette and smokeless tobacco companies spend billions of dollars each year to market their products. In 2019, the largest cigarette and smokeless tobacco companies spent $8.2 billion on advertising and promotional expenses in the United States alone.

What Are Common Gateway Drugs?

The majority of respondents first used alcohol, marijuana, and tobacco in high school. Over 64 percent of people who tried alcohol for the first time did so as a high school student. Alcohol was the first substance used for over 65 to 68 percent of participants. Spending on alcohol advertising increased to over $540 million in the U.S. from 1971 to 2011, and those born in the 1990s were the largest group to have tried alcohol before any other substance. Using marijuana during pregnancy may increase the baby’s risk for developmental problems.

Learning Center

The drug may be used for medical reasons, recreation, or a combination of both. These natural chemicals play a role in normal brain development and function. Marijuana over activates parts of the brain that contain the highest number of these receptors. The activation of brain receptors causes the “high” that people feel (NIDA, Marijuana drugFacts, 2019). There is also evidence that the age 21 MLDA protects drinkers from alcohol and other drug dependence, adverse birth outcomes, suicide, and homicide. For most people, it is not harmful to consume up to 400mg of caffeine a day.

The study also found that alternative factors, such as depression, social anxiety and parental conflicts, had a minimal impact on the results. This goes against the idea that environmental factors are the leading cause of substance abuse. Adolescents who smoke marijuana are more likely to use harder drugs, according to a report by the U.S. Marijuana is the most commonly used drug after nicotine and alcohol and the most frequently used illegal drug overall. However, in 1975, Denise Kandel’s Gateway Hypothesis challenged this idea.

Gateway Drug Statistics and Studies

Energy drinks contain high levels of caffeine, which increases energy and alertness. A study published in the Journal of Addiction Medicine revealed teens who consumed energy drinks were two to three times more likely to pick up an illicit drug than those who did not. Alcohol, marijuana and nicotine are commonly talked about as gateway drugs. In recent years, illicit opioids, prescription drugs and other common substances have joined the category.

Unlike the Stepping Stone Theory, the Gateway Hypothesis suggests that gateway drugs don’t always lead to more severe drug use. The idea of a progression in substance use from weaker to harder drugs goes back to the 1930s. Known as Stepping Stone Theory, it suggested an inevitable progression from marijuana to the use of harder drugs, such as heroin. This substance can serve as a gateway drug, leading down a path of addiction and dangerous outcomes. Our state-specific resource guides offer a comprehensive overview of drug and alcohol addiction treatment options available in your area.