Alcohol Is The Real Gateway Drug, Not Marijuana

 Posted by at 9:12 AM on July 11, 2012  Ending Marijuana Prohibition  Add comments
Jul 112012
 

alcohol and marijuanaStudy Proves What We Already Knew – Alcohol Is The Real Gateway Drug, Not Marijuana

A recent study proves what marijuana consumers have known all along – that alcohol is the first substance that kids try, not marijuana. The study involved data from more than 14,500 high-school students from 120 schools across U.S. The data was obtained from a ‘Monitoring the Future’ study. The study checked for use of marijuana, cocaine, heroin, LSD, amphetamines, tranquilizers and other narcotics.

“These findings add further credence to the literature identifying alcohol as the gateway drug to other substance use,” Adam Barry, an assistant professor and researcher in the College of Health and Human Performance at the University of Florida, said according to Medical Daily. The Medical Daily article went on to state, “Estimates from major surveys in the U.S say that by age 17 most teenagers, between 59 percent and 71 percent, had consumed alcohol, 31 percent to 44 percent had tried cannabis, and 4 percent to 6 percent had tried cocaine, in a study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry.”

“By recognizing the important predictive role of and delaying initiation of alcohol use, school officials and public health leaders can positively impact the progression of substance use,” he said. “I am confident in our findings and the clear implication¬¬s they have for school-based prevention programs. By delaying and/or preventing the use of alcohol, these programs can indirectly reduce the rate of use of other .” Adam Barry said, according to Medical Xpress.

“Parents should know that a strict, zero-tolerance policy at home is best. Increasing alcohol-specific rules and decreasing availability will help prevent an adolescent’s alcohol use. The longer that alcohol initiation is delayed, the more likely that other drug or substance use will be delayed or prevented as well.” Adam Barry told the Medical Daily.

The Medical Xpress article went on to state, “In addition, the drug use documented found that substance use typically begins with the most socially acceptable drugs, such as alcohol and cigarettes, then proceeds to marijuana use and finally to other illegal, harder drugs. Moreover, the study showed that who used alcohol exhibited a significantly greater likelihood – up to 16 times – of licit and illicit substance use.”

I have always pointed out to anti-marijuana people that marijuana is far from ‘the gateway drug.’ Not only do younger people use alcohol and tobacco before marijuana, but often household substances are abused even before that. We all knew those kids in school that huffed aerosol, or sniffed rubber cement or markers. The fact of the matter is, some people are bound to be hard drug users, for a multitude of reasons, regardless if they ever consume marijuana or not.

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About Johnny Green

Johnny Green is a marijuana activist from Oregon. He has a Bachelor's Degree in Public Policy. Follow Johnny Green on Facebook and Twitter. Also, feel free to email any concerns.
  • eating_sunshine

    Exactly what properties of a substance causes one to use another substance?
    You have to admit, Anslinger had a stroke of pure genius to come up with this BS. Even doctors are genuflecting at the altar of this illogical BS.

    • Midnight run

      Anslinger was a pawn hired by george hearsts bankman,the us treasury. Hearst,whos father was the richest gold man in tge world, sought the need to further rape and pillage this country through his company, du pont.

      George hearst is the most intelligent villian to walk this earth. He outlawed the most widely used plant so his patented petrol products.business had no competition..

      Dick cheney and halliburton fracking/wAr division are fuckin childsplay

  • pkr8ch

    I say don’t treat your kind like morons because chances are they already have a better drug education than you do. BE HONEST!! Tell your kids about the dangers of addiction, overdose, and your real experiences. Addiction to anything is unhealthy so it’s imporant to stress moderation. I think what’s important is that when your kids grow up that they don’t come to realize that they were lied to about drugs. Most importantly teach your kids to Not abuse pills. This will kill kill them faster than anything!

    • natedizzo

      Thank you for throwing that “pills” comment in there. Definitely the most important. I hate hearing people talking freely about pills every day like nothing’s wrong with it, and then when something about marijuana is brought up every body cringes. It should be the other way around. Pills are way worse!! Being honest will save people’s lives!

  • JohnnyBloomington

    Stop calling anything “a gateway drug.” You end up sounding like a prohibitionist. Like pkr8ch said, just be honest and tell your kids the truth and educate them of the cause and effect of these subsidences. If they get drunk at a friends house tell them you will pick them up and not be in trouble. “Zero-tolerance policy?” How bout harm reduction instead!

  • happyperson

    “The fact of the matter is, some people are bound to be hard drug users,
    for a multitude of reasons, regardless if they ever consume marijuana or
    not.”

    ^Probably.

    Also, I don’t think alcohol, pot, and other drug use is such a bad thing. It seems like a pretty normal part of adult life. People should be educated about drugs so they can make informed decisions.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Cheryl-Sparks/100000710800571 Cheryl Sparks

    I still think that cigarettes are. We tried cigarettes as kids to be “cool” like the teenagers & adults before we tried alcohol. And cigarettes are WAY more addictive than alchohol!!