For the longest time, marijuana had been believed to be the Gateway Drug that could take a teenager down the road to destruction. A new study suggests differently.
The Journal of Health and Social Behavior, found that Marijuana is not a “gateway” drug, as was supposed according to long-held beliefs that marijuana leads to harder, more dangerous drugs such as methamphetamines, cocaine and heroin.
The study’s findings called into question the six decade long belief that has shaped prevention efforts and governmental policy and caused many a parent to panic upon finding a bag of weed in their kid’s bedroom.
These new findings are drawn from conclusions of a 12-year University of Pittsburgh study, which followed 1,286 young adults who attended public schools. Twenty-six per cent were African American, 30 per cent were white and 44 per cent were Hispanic.
The Journal believes that other factors, such as whether or not a person has a job or is facing severe stress, are far more predictive of future hard drug use than whether they smoked pot.
Young adults who didn't complete high school or go to college were most likely to have used marijuana and other drugs as teens. Those who were not working after high school were also more likely to use harder drugs
It may come as a surprise however, that according to the study, the most important factor influencing illicit drug use is an individual's race or ethnicity, considering whites are most likely to use harder drugs such as heroin or cocaine, followed by Hispanics and then by African Americans.
"In light of these findings, we urge U.S. drug control policymakers to consider stress and life-course approaches in their pursuit of solutions to the drug problems," write the study's authors, Van Gundy and Cesar Rebellon, both associate professors of sociology at UNH.
While those who smoked marijuana as teens were more likely to move on the harder drugs while they were still young, findings show that this “gateway effect” decreased as they got older and disappeared altogether once teens reach young adulthood at age 21.
Researcher Karen Van Gundy, a sociologist at the University of New Hampshire, shared: “We were somewhat surprised to find the gateway effect wasn’t that strong during the transition to adulthood. It really didn’t matter if someone used marijuana or not as a teen.”
It appears that drug use can be linked more to stress, such as from failure to graduate or find a job. This implies that anti-drug efforts should be geared towards keeping kids in school and ensuring that they have opportunities for employment, rather than threatening them with punishment.
Have you ever believed that marijuana was a Gateway Drug? Or do you believe that the government fabricated this myth as an excuse for marijaua persecution? Let Addicts Not Anonymous readers know what you think, feel and believe with a brief or detailed comment, bellow.
Written By: Tom Retterbush
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SourcesStudy says marijuana no gateway drug (Science Blog)Marijuana gateway risk overblown: study (CBC News)Safety for Use: Cannabis as a Gateway Drug (DrugScience.org)Teen Pot Smoking Won't Lead to Other Drugs as Adults (WebMD)
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