Jaclyn Larsen. Mr. Gregory. Period 2. February 12, 2017.

The theory that marijuana could lead people to try other substances is controversial, and has been discredited by research.

In modern society, marijuana is considered the “gateway” drug. Some of the women used marijuana first and then started using hard drugs such as cocaine and heroin while it was the other way around for some people. “For most women, their initial use of drugs occurred during adolescence and included alcohol, tobacco, or marijuana,” (Sterk, 24). They were introduced to drugs and alcohol at a young age by their peers, girlfriends, boyfriends, or relatives. Since they started at a young age, they become compulsive drug users. If they cut off their connections with these friends or relatives, they would’ve never had become users. Many women in FAST explained that their continued drug used depended on coincidence while others looked for situations where drugs would be available. This shows that they had a choice and decided to make the wrong one. As they continue to use more drugs, they can only identify themselves

Imagine a straight A student, getting a full academic ride to a state college. Now imagine he decided to take his first sip of alcohol at his first high school party. He starts focusing on parties rather than his studies; he starts going to more and more parties. Eventually he smokes his first joint, no big deal right? Wrong, marijuana is called the gateway drug, meaning it is the drug that gets you to try worse drugs. He starts trying other things with his friends. He is presented with his first pipe, with crystal meth in it. He didn’t like it at first, but he discovers that he likes the high. he likes how he feels a rush when using it. He starts to use it once every week, then it becomes

Marijuana is not a drug that you can get addicted too. There are more dangerous drugs then marijuana all around the world that can be addicting but with no help to your body. For example alcohol and cigarettes are more deadly and addictive than marijuana. Why shouldn’t they be illegal just like marijuana is? , Cigarettes prevent cancer and one can get addicted and invest a lot of money in it, when marijuana prevents from cancer growth and doctors can give you the medication for your pains. In the article, Roll your own, “IT MAY no look dangerous, but the tobacco plant has probably killed more people than his sword, he bow and arrow, and the spear put together” (unknown). Marijuana don’t have any death of human beans but tobacco has a lot from hoe bad tobacco is for you. Most people that die from drug use are normally, from tobacco use, heroine, and cocaine use. You don’t

Marijuana is a 'gateway drug'-The addiction rate for marijuana is lower than that of alcohol, and there is little scientific evidence that it acts as a trigger for harder drugs. While teen marijuana use is not to be encouraged, the real "gateway drug" risk might be from abusing prescription opioids and stimulants, like OxyContin, Vicodin and Adderall, or with inhalant drug use. These have strong addictive properties and more accessible to teens.

The understanding of having the drug still makes it a drug, but have to know that is not bad compared to others. The legalization of marijuana would create a domino effect with the all the other states. The states would all follow. The DEA would have to change the state of marijuana and it is “schedule 1 drug” to being medical use and for the legalization with recreational use. Having marijuana could cause a great change in American influencing every state. The final change in marijuana is considered a “class one drug” to be something for recreational use shows the change the people have had in accepting marijuana. “Proposition 64 is backed by 58% of California voters” (voters support marijuana) Showing that the proposition is supported by many of the Californian voters. The voter majority that was asked support proposition 64 and its process with legalizing recreational use of marijuana and the new laws implied for the use of marijuana and such penalties. People in California now don’t see marijuana as a “gateway drug “Research shows that the vast majority of marijuana users do not go on to use hard drugs,” says Miriam Boeri in her article MARIJUANA IS NOT, REPEAT NOT, A GATEWAY DRUG. She stumps the claim that the idea of marijuana would lead to harder drugs, but it is better known that “Poverty and the poor social environment,” “mental illnesses,” or “ criminalization” that could lead to people going to hard drugs like cocaine or

2. Once they discover that the government has been lying about marijuana, they are less inclined to believe official warnings about other drugs. 3. Once they buy marijuana on the black market, they are more likely to have the opportunity to buy other drugs” (Sullum). There is an obvious connection between pot smoking and other drug use because people who like the “high” that they get from pot, will enjoy a different “high” from another drug. However there is no connection between using marijuana and the desire to use other drugs. It is a matter of personality, environment, and personal influence. Even a National Academy of Sciences panel stated “There is no evidence that marijuana serves as a stepping stone on the bases of its particular drug effect” in a recent report (Sullum). Many other pro-prohibitionists have stated that marijuana is responsible for a long list of health problems. Although marijuana is connected to immediate lung problems like occasional coughing and phlegm production, and an increased risk for acute chest infections, there has never been a single tie to cancer. The results of studies linking marijuana smoking to lung cancer have also been hindered by small test sizes and subject bias, and the true results are saturated with unconfirmed studies and secret procedures with public results (Buddy). Marijuana is gaining headway with the most recent Gallup poll reported that 48 percent of the population supports decriminalization of marijuana, while

There are two parts to the gateway theory: 1) those that use illicit substances like cocaine or heroin will use marijuana first and 2) the use of marijuana exerts a casual influence on one’s likelihood of using other illicit substances. According to the "Can Social Psychological Delinquency Theory Explain The Link Between Marijuana and Other Illicit Drug Use?” article, the study set out to disprove the second qualification of the gateway theory. However, it failed to do so because the results suggested “those who use marijuana are between three and five times more likely than counterparts to use other illicit drugs even after adjusting statistically for the influence for strain, social bonding and differential association.” It noted that the “results were observed across multiple time points and across multiple methods, one of which adjusts statistically for the influence of unmeasured variables.” It conceded the point that the use of marijuana may contribute in a casual manner to one’s probability of using other illicit drugs. It has been widely regarded that “postponing youths’ marijuana initiation, prevention efforts will reduce the likelihood of hard drug use and abuse” (Yamaguchi & Kandel 1984b; Kandel et al. 1992; Golub & Johnson 2001). Postponing one’s marijuana initiation to a certain extent only brings them closer to the drug underworld. In a

There was no science backing this claim, and when it comes to marijuana neither of those things are true. It does not have a high potential for abuse, leading to a dependance in around 9 to 10% of it’s users. By comparison cocaine, a schedule two substance" with less abuse potential than schedule 1 drugs" hooks 20% of those who use it. Around 25% of heroin users become addicted. The worst being tobacco which has an addiction rate of around 30%.

This argument is important because marijuana is considered a "gateway drug," which has not been scientifically proven. Many people have tried marijuana or at least know someone who has attempted to smoke weed. A person most likely does not know as much as they think they know about what it is or the effects.

With marijuana being a very popular drug, it is not a harmful drug. Marijuana is used by many people all around the world. The percentage of people who smoke has increased by a significantly large amount. “Ever since marijuana has been known to mankind, not one single account of death

Have you ever thought about drugs like marijuana and the history or impact it can cause on your life? Many people do not think about these things when it comes to taking drugs. They just like to take drugs for fun and usually don’t care what happens. Well many people don’t know a lot about marijuana. There are a lot of things you should know before taking any type of drug like marijuana.

The fact is that there is not one reliable scientific study that shows smoking marijuana to be a safe and effective drug.

It seems every decade marijuana studies show that it has no side effects on users, in turn it become more available like when some states in America had legalized it. Dr Kevin M. Gray believes that the only side effect of smoking weed is the physical addictions it causes, he believes that over 51% of all teens have used weed at least once and the biggest problem we are facing with this rapidly growing drug use is only addiction. Dr Marshall M. Gay believes that the health effects of weed isn’t that much as smoking cigarettes and doesn’t see it a threat to people’s health. “More than half (51%) of adolescents reported that marijuana is fairly or very easy to obtain.2 this ease of availability may have contributed to a recently reported "reverse gateway" from cigarettes use to marijuana”. The more ignored belief is that marijuana can lead to a variety of developmental, mental and physical side effects. The effects of smoking weed can extend to those of smoking cigarettes “studies show regular marijuana use can lead to many of the same

The second reason that the government should not legalize marijuana is that doing so will send the message that is okay to use other psychoactive drugs. Legalizing marijuana could result in advertising of this drug to adolescents. A study was conducted during 2003 showing that roughly 48 percent of twelfth graders reported using alcohol in the past thirty days and 24 percent reported smoking cigarettes in the past thirty days. Household access to illicit substances is coupled with a greater risk of marijuana use among both younger and older adolescents. This is often coupled with parental drug use which sends the message that it is okay to use psychoactive drugs (Joffe & Yancy, 2004, p. e636). The general idea is that we, as people, shouldn’t be making it easier for our children to get drugs. Thus far, it is shown that there is a struggle to educate the youth to avoid the use of psychoactive drugs. However, certain organizations, such as DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education), have made solid efforts to