# Bringing The Gateway Theory Back



## LdyLunatic (Jul 6, 2006)

News @ Nature  the news affiliate of one of the most prestigious medical journals in the world, which tags itself as providing the best in science journalism  is not usually a source of drug war propaganda. But this week, in covering a new study on the effects of marijuana on the brain, it sure sounded like one. 
The story was purportedly about research on rats which found that those given marijuana during the period roughly equivalent to human adolescence tended to take larger doses of heroin when given access to that drug later in life. 

Its an interesting finding and could add to our knowledge of how exposure to one drug can affect responses to other drugs. But Nature covered the study of just 12 rats as though it gives important support to the long-discredited idea that marijuana acts as a gateway drug, causing users who start just smoking pot to rapidly turn into heroin injectors or cocaine smokers. 
News @ Nature said: 
 Neuroscientists have found that rats are more likely to get hooked on heroin if they have previously been given cannabis. The studies suggest a biological mechanism  at least in rats  for the much-publicized effect of cannabis as a 'gateway' to harder drugs. 
But the article did not note that the problem with the gateway theory is that the vast majority of cannabis users never try harder drugs. While most illegal drug users start with the most widely available illegal drug  marijuana  most marijuana users start and stop with cannabis. Some 50 percent of high school students try marijuana before graduation, but just eight percent try cocaine, six percent try methamphetamine and less than one percent try heroin. This is why the Institute of Medicine, in a 1999 report on the use of marijuana as medicine, gave no credence to the gateway idea. 
And while the article said that cannabis use might similarly predispose to amphetamine or cocaine use, it did not mention that the same authors had previously published a study finding no such effect with amphetamine. 
Further, News @ Nature sure made both the researchers and the reporter covering the study sound far from disinterested and unbiased. The article quoted one of the studys authors as saying that policies softening the law on cannabis were ridiculous in light of the existing evidence, and closed with the following: 
The discovery also warns against complacency that cannabis does not have any lasting effect in young people who use the drug. Lots of mothers say 'oh well, at least it's not cocaine, [the researcher] says. But this is not about the short-term effects. For adults to do it is one thing, but we have to consider the effects on children." 
Lets see: For the last 40 years or so weve run an uncontrolled experiment exposing at least half of the Americas teenagers to cannabis. Obviously, it would be better if teenagers didnt take the risk of exposing themselves to any psychoactive substances. 
However, so far, no one has found any effects on mortality, there is no link with lung cancer, there are no deaths from overdosing, cognitive effects are minimal once the drug has worn off in all but the heaviest of users, and rates of use of cannabis and other drugs have waxed and waned over time. This scientist may believe her kids to be equally at risk when trying cannabis or cocaine  but she sure isnt basing this belief on data. This is an interesting, but preliminary study which should be covered; but it shouldnt be covered not without context. 
Note: News @ Nature hypes study on twelve rats. Source: Stats.org (DC)
Author: Maia Szalavitz 
Published: July 6, 2006


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## Mutt (Jul 6, 2006)

Pounding this crap down our throats again huh. There are few things wrong with this.

1. Its herion!!!! Good gawd people, it doesn't matter how many times you do it or how often sooner or later you'll get hooked. It's freakin Herion!!!! Common sense!!! PLEASE!!!

for number two I'll just point out the one word that makes it bogus. IMHO

2. 





> For the last 40 years or so we&#8217;ve run an *uncontrolled *experiment exposing at least half of the America&#8217;s teenagers to cannabis. Obviously, it would be better if teenagers didn&#8217;t take the risk of exposing themselves to any psychoactive substances.



Did they do herion too in this "uncontrolled experiment" or crack, or meth, or 15 hits of Acid at one time??? I think that would have a major impact on the results. Because that statement says nothing. period. just eye wash for "in-the-dark people to panic"

I was so hoping this one would stay dead, but I guess the powers that be just like to f**k with us.


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## ganjabanned (Jul 7, 2006)

To me, what that study means is that marijuana should be legalized.
The #1 commodity in the black market is marijuana.
With legal pot, most of the black market would simply disappear because there'd be less demand.
Even if marijuana led to heroin use (it doesn't--I've been smoking pot for over 40 years and many of my friends have been smoking 20--40 years, but none of us have become heroin addicts.  Most have never tried smack or had any desire to do so.
I tried snorting it once (when there was no pot available) but hated it.

In addition to cutting the black market, marijuana would cut gang's (many of which fund their activities with marijuana sales) and organized crime.


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## purple_chronic (Jul 7, 2006)

people dont understand this is not just to have fun they r really people who need this to live their daily life i just dont understand why do they keep on with this sh*t like Mutt said"It's freakin Herion!!!! Common sense!!! PLEASE!!!"

You can never ever compare this kind of drug with our girl MJ i mean like even the news said"most of the pot users start and finish just with pot" i dot have to try meth or HERION!!! i do what i feel like doing its not that when you smoke MJ some krazy guy pops up in your head saying try herion or meth the problem is not to taste or check it out its the people who get hooked you dont get hooked only by trying the drug once you have to do it a few times like most of my friends(females) try weed cuz of "Group Presure" and i have told them that you do what you want i dont smoke weed cuz i find it kool, i know what people think when they see you smoke a blunt in their face they think your SH*T and thats wrong like i said before i dont smoke cuz its cool i smoke cuz of the personal problems i have and keep my mind free of stress ,like im always in a bad mood,my parents talk shit cuz they know i smoke once in a while,yeah right! i smoke almost every day and when i smoke is when they treat me like person cuz im not pissed off im like mmm dunno lets say "kool" the point is that people try to compare and try to look 4 a bad thing about MJ and they cant they have no good reason to be keeping it illegal like mi opinion is that alot of problems will be solved if MJ was legal people who really need it will live in peace with no problems at all i really dunno why keep going with this sh*t...

like Mutt said"Pounding this crap down our throats again huh."

we dot need more Sh*t to live with...


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## Inmediusre (Jul 11, 2006)

"I've sucked D*** for coke, have you ever sucked D*** for marijuana?"

Thank you Dave Chapelle.  Nuff Said.


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