Thursday, March 6, 2008

"Gateway" Drug Propaganda

There has been no specific, nor conclusive evidence to support the idea that marijuana leads to harder, actually dangerous drugs. This idea of marijuana as a “gateway” drug arose, as many of the false ideas about marijuana do, in the wake of a national drug campaign meant to curb a spike in its use during the sixties. In the eighties this idea should have gone right out of the window when cocaine use skyrocketed and marijuana use declined significantly. In actuallity if a drug is fitting to be deemed as a "gateway" drug might alcohol be a a better canidate?

The only way that marijuana leads to harder drugs is when it is not readily available. A study by Dr. Patricia Morgan of the University of California at Berkley showed that a number of regular pot smokers switched to methamphetamines when a Hawaii’s marijuana eradication program created a shortage of the sweet leaf. Similar trends have been credited with cocaine booms in California and elsewhere. It seems that if the governments goal is to keep people from wrecking there lives with meth- mouth, cocaine paranoia, and the host of diseases contacted though intravenous drug use, they may want to consider just letting people smoke their measly weed in peace. Come on DEA it's time to fry bigger fish. When is the government going to stop relying on the cration of fear in order to impose antiquated rules and laws? There is plenty to fear in this world but in marijuana really the great evil the DEA claims it to be?

Common Sense Drug Policy


Marijuana Myths, Marijuana
Lynn Zimmer Ph.D. John P. Morgan MD

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I completely agree with you. I've never really considered marijauna a gateway drug. Most of the smokers I know are just content with their weed. The Hawaii study is especially interesting because Hawaii has a really high usage rate of meth. Now that's a scary drug. If the DEA's energies were to go to preventing meth use they would be fighting a much more important battle. It's unfortunate that marijauna is in the forefront of the battle. I don't really understand this either. Like you said, there are much more harmful drugs.