cannabisnews.com: High Road: Marijuana as a Gateway Drug 





High Road: Marijuana as a Gateway Drug 
Posted by CN Staff on January 24, 2003 at 18:30:29 PT
By Jacob Sullum
Source: Reason Magazine
By the 1950s, Federal Bureau of Narcotics Commissioner Harry Anslinger had backed away from his claim that marijuana turns people into murderers. Instead he began arguing that it turns them into heroin addicts. "Over 50 percent of those young addicts started on marijuana smoking," Anslinger told a congressional committee in 1951. "They started there and graduated to heroin; they took the needle when the thrill of marijuana was gone." 
Half a century later, this idea, known as the "gateway" or "stepping stone" theory, remains a bulwark of marijuana prohibition. Its durability is largely due to its ambiguity: Because it's rarely clear what people mean when they say that pot smoking leads to the use of "harder" drugs, the claim is difficult to disprove. Survey data indicate that heroin and cocaine users generally use marijuana first, and that people who try pot are much more likely than people who don't to try other drugs. But there are several ways of interpreting these facts. A recent study by the RAND Corporation's Drug Policy Research Center, for example, found that a general predisposition to use drugs, combined with a four-year lag between access to marijuana and access to other illegal intoxicants, was enough to account for the patterns observed in the government's surveys. "The people who are predisposed to use drugs and have the opportunity to use drugs are more likely than others to use both marijuana and other drugs," said Andrew Morral, the lead author of the study, which appeared in the December issue of the journal Addiction. "Marijuana typically comes first because it is more available. Once we incorporated these facts into our mathematical model of adolescent drug use, we could explain all of the drug use associations that have been cited as evidence of marijuana's gateway effect." Case closed? Not quite. A study reported in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association surveyed 311 pairs of Australian twins in which one used marijuana by age 17 and one did not. The researchers found that the early cannabis users were more likely than their twins to use other drugs. They were four times as likely to use psychedelics, three times as likely to use cocaine or other stimulants, and more than twice as likely to use opioids. These relative probabilities may sound impressive, but they're quite modest compared to the numbers usually cited by defenders of the war on drugs. The prohibitionist propaganda mill known as the Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, for example, trumpets the fact that "12-to-17-year-olds who smoke marijuana are 85 times more likely to use cocaine than those who do not." The results of the twin study suggest that almost all of this difference is due to environmental and personality factors, as indicated by RAND's analysis. Even with twins, of course, there are differences in environment and personality. The study's results were similar for monozygotic ("identical") and dizygotic ("fraternal") twins, which suggests that genetic differences of the magnitude seen in siblings are not important in determining who uses the "harder" drugs. But both kinds of twins clearly differed in significant respects; otherwise, it would not have been the case that one from each pair used marijuana early while the other did not. If one twin happens to be less risk-averse or more rebellious, or if he happens to have friends who know where to get pot, that factor could explain both his early marijuana use and his subsequent use of other drugs. The researchers, for their part, speculated that the link between early pot smoking and later drug use "may arise from the effects of the peer and social context within which cannabis is used and obtained. In particular, early access to and use of cannabis may reduce perceived barriers against the use of other illegal drugs and provide access to these drugs." To expand on that point a bit, the government's decision to put marijuana in the same category as cocaine and heroin may contribute to a gateway effect in three ways: 1) Once teenagers break the law to try pot, they are less reluctant to break the law to try other drugs. 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. A more obvious explanation for the connection between pot smoking and other drug use is that people who discover that they like marijuana may be more inclined to try other psychoactive substances, in the same way that people who discover that they like bungee jumping may be more inclined to try sky diving. You could say that bungee jumping is a gateway to sky diving. Notice that none of these interpretations involves a specific pharmacological effect of the sort drug warriors seem to have in mind when they suggest that pot smoking primes the brain for cocaine or heroin. As a National Academy of Sciences panel observed in a 1999 report, "There is no evidence that marijuana serves as a stepping stone on the basis of its particular drug effect." Last year the Canadian Senate's Special Committee on Illegal Drugs likewise concluded that "cannabis itself is not a cause of other drug use. In this sense, we reject the gateway theory." Of course, it all depends on which "sense" you have in mind. A few years ago in the Drug Policy Analysis Bulletin, the social psychologist Robert MacCoun laid out seven—count 'em, seven—different versions of the gateway theory. "Given our current state of knowledge," he concluded, "one can coherently argue that (a) the gateway is a myth—it doesn't exist; (b) the gateway is very real and it shows why we must sustain or strengthen our ban on marijuana, or (c) the gateway is very real and it shows why we should depenalize or even legalize marijuana." A theory that versatile will never die. Jacob Sullum, a senior editor at Reason, is the author of Saying Yes: In Defense of Drug Use, forthcoming in May from Tarcher/Putnam. Source: Reason Magazine (US)Author: Jacob SullumPublished: January 24, 2003Copyright: 2003 The Reason FoundationContact: letters reason.comWebsite: http://www.reason.com/ Related Articles & Web Sites:NORML: Marijuana Truth Campaignhttp://freedomtoexhale.com/truth.pdfMarijuana Does Not Lead To Hard Drugs http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14880.shtmlSenate Report on Cannabis: Get Whole Story http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14319.shtmlThe Special Senate Committee on Illegal Drugs http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13987.shtml 
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Comment #9 posted by p4me on February 06, 2003 at 11:03:53 PT
Exellent commentary by R Cowan on 2/5
If you read this commentary by Richard Cowan, you will thank NIDA funding for all the spin and wasting taxpayer money again-  http://www.marijuananews.com/news.php3?sid=619
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Comment #8 posted by p4me on February 01, 2003 at 02:10:41 PT
Alexa Cannabisnews rating 
Cnews was rated 45,696 a few minutes ago. Last Saturday it was 46,533. This is a three month average. This average keeps rising by my reasoning because of the bump that came with the November 5th elections and that continued plateau of about 100,000 hits a day through the week.There are four statistics if a person clicks See Traffic Details- http://www.alexa.com/data/details/traffic_details?q=&p=Det_W_g_40_M1&url=cannabisnews.comToday's Cnews rating was 70,777.The one week average for Cnews was 42,107.The three month average was the 45,696 number.The three month change has been 17,694
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Comment #7 posted by FoM on January 25, 2003 at 11:56:09 PT
Cheryl Miller in Hospital 
Hi Everyone, I saw this sad email a few minutes ago. Many of us know or are aware of Cheryl's battle with MS. I wasn't comfortable posting the phone number but if Gary thinks it's ok maybe he will post it. They might really appreciate calls but if she is very sick they might not so I decided I shouldn't post it. Cheryl Miller in Hospital Date: Sat, 25 Jan 2003    
 
Jim Miller reports that his wife, Cheryl, is hospitalized after suffering health problems several days ago.Here is an update from Jim sent Friday:"Cheryl (and I) are in Brick hospital for an undefined period of time. Shewas taken there by ambulance Thursday morning and admitted to room 465.Internal problems due to 32 long years of multiple sclerosis. She made it through the night and appears to be on a slight upswing as of this morning.Gary Storck: IMMLY
IMMLY
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Comment #6 posted by FoM on January 25, 2003 at 10:32:53 PT
Just a Comment
I really appreciate Reason Magazine. Jacob Sullum has written fine articles. I'm looking forward to more as the year goes by.
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Comment #5 posted by The GCW on January 25, 2003 at 09:28:33 PT
& like a milk cow, they hook You up for urine.
Ready to get angry?26 years for minor pot sales http://www.hempbc.com/articles/2812.htmlCannabis Culture by Dana Larsen (24 Jan, 2003) Alabama youth's sentence typical for petty drug offencesOn January 15, 2003, an Alabama teen was sentenced to 26 years in jail for small-time pot sales.Webster Alexander, 19, received the jail time for a variety of charges stemming from selling ounces of pot to a narcotics officers who had infiltrated his school, posing as a student.Loretta Nall, founder of the Alabama Marijuana Party, has been working to help Alexander since she heard of his sentence."The pot sales all date back to 2001," Nall told Cannabis Culture. "Since then Alexander had graduated from high school and is attending college. He plays football, he gets good grades, he's an all-American kid. And now his life is shattered."Nall has spoken extensively with Alexander and his family, and she explained the circumstances surrounding his arrest and sentencing."The local Lawrence County Drug Task Force sent a narc into his school to find some pot dealers. They said the narc was a transfer student. On his first day there he was pestering students about where the parties were, and how he could score some marijuana."Webster sold the narc pot on four occasions, not on school grounds, but from outside family's home. After the fourth sale, Webster was arrested."Webster told me that right after the fourth sale, they were sitting in his mom's car in the driveway, and 15 to 20 police cars came roaring in, surrounding the car and house. He said the police were wearing flak jackets and had their weapons drawn. He said he had guns pointed at him as he was ordered to lie down to be handcuffed."Extreme sentencingLawrence County Circuit Judge Philip Reich sentenced Alexander to 13 years on each distribution charge. Reich also sentenced Alexander to five years for possession of marijuana, and six months for possession of paraphernalia.Because Webster had the misfortune to live within three miles of the school, and also near a housing project, he got even more time. The judge gave him five years for trafficking within three miles of a school and five more years for trafficking within three miles of a housing project.Reich ordered Alexander to serve two of the distribution sentences consecutively. He will serve the other sentences at the same time, totalling 26 years in jail.Nall has her theories as to why the sentencing was so extreme. "The narc was wearing a wire, and had Alexander on tape saying that he was smarter than the cops, that the dumb police would never catch him, and so on. It's a vendetta case. The cops and DA are pissed with him because he called them stupid. Plus they're just picking on poor people, like always."Faint hopeHowever, there is still faint hope that Alexander might not have to serve over two decades behind bars. "He has a final sentencing hearing on March 10," explained Nall. "I'm told there is still a chance he can be given parole. Then he'd probably only serve a year in prison and have five or six years of parole. But it's the same judge who decides this, and the judge and DA have already shown that they are serious about locking this boy up."Nall told Cannabis Culture that Webster's family was devastated. "His parents have seven children, two of them adopted. His father is recently unemployed. They're holding out hope still, that this judge will come to his senses, or that somebody, somewhere out there will help them.""I want to help this kid," explained Nall, "but we're not sure what to do. He plead guilty and got this sentence as part of a plea bargain. His lawyer was referred by NORML. According to his lawyer, he had to work hard to get the sentence to under 30 years. If the sentence is over 30 years he has no chance of parole and has to serve all the time. By having a 26 year sentence there is still the chance for parole.""I am going to buy full-page ads in the local newspaper, the Decatur Daily, using money donated by Marc Emery," said Nall passionately. "I want to shame the prosecutor and judge. I want to run them out of town. They are an embarassement to our state and they need to go!"In an interview with Cannabis Culture, Canadian pot seed merchant Marc Emery explained why he wants to help out with this case. "I was absolutely shocked when I read about this sentence," said Emery. "I couldn't believe this was still going on! I can't think of anywhere else in the world that would punish someone like this for such small quantities of pot. Even in China you wouldn't get that long a sentence for small quantities like this!"Emery explained that he hopes he can do something about the sentence. "I am hoping we can fund some kind of legal challenge, or find a way to draw attention to this ongoing travesty. We're going to do what we can to help out and save this kid from a lifetime in jail."Alabama prison stateSadly, these kinds of extreme sentences for minor drug offences are quite common in Alabama. In a joint letter to the Huntsville Times, printed on January 12, 2003, two drug war prisoners explained their lengthy sentences.One prisoner, Timothy Coffman, said that in December 2002 he was sentenced to 15 years for possession of one gram of marijuana rolled into a joint. "My appointed attorney repeatedly told me if I didn't plead guilty I'd have a jury trial," wrote Coffman, "and if I lost at trial I could receive up to life in prison."The other prisoner, David White, was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 1992 for possession of less than $5 worth of cocaine. "I served seven years in prison, paroled out and worked four years with no problems," wrote White, "until I failed to report to my parole officer one time. This cost me my parole."These types of sentences challenge statements made by US 'Drug Czar' John Walters, who regularly tells the media that Americans are not being jailed for small-time possession of pot.Typical of these was a March 2002 interview with the Christian Science Monitor. "It is not a matter of some kid caught with a baggie of marijuana at a traffic stop who got slammed into prison," said Walters. "That is a caricature that I think it is about time we stopped repeating because it is so blatantly not true."- Alabama Marijuana Party: alabama.usmjparty.com- Decatur Daily article about the Webster Alexander sentencing: www.mapinc.org/newscc/v03/n087/a09.html- Letter from the two drug war prisoners in the Huntsville Times: www.mapinc.org/newscc/v03/n061/a08.html- See Loretta Nall's interview with Webster Alexander here: www.pot-tv.net/archive/shows/pottvshowse-1742.html(Link above also shows photo of the offender) (Makes Me think the official bird in Alabama is a moron.) (It IS the south...)
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Comment #4 posted by aocp on January 25, 2003 at 09:17:01 PT
i guess i'm the exception
You could say that bungee jumping is a gateway to sky diving.I'm not kidding when i say that i think bungee jumping is insanity, but i still want to go sky diving. Go figure.
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on January 25, 2003 at 08:41:28 PT
Ed Rosenthal on Cultural Baggage
http://www.cultural-baggage.com/ramtorm/rosenthal.ram
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on January 25, 2003 at 08:21:00 PT
Thanks for the Update p4me
I really like looking at the traffic report on Alexa. It shows the daily and monthly activity of web sites. I don't understand much about the numbers but I do understand traffic ratings. My stats from Mapinc. have been down for a few days but Alexa seems to not be affected. I can't find any news so far and last night I couldn't even get into CNews or even the Washington Post. Here's a link to the virus that caused a major bottleneck. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/2693925.stm
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Comment #1 posted by p4me on January 25, 2003 at 04:58:24 PT
Alexa Cannabisnews rating
Alexa rated Cnews 46,533, up from 47,857 last Saturday and up from 48,868 on January 10th.This article was another example of fine work coming from the people at Reason.com. Now that they have addressed the Gateway Theory and its associated BS, I wish they would get on the CIA involvement with the drug trade. People just don't get it that the US government is the main player in the black markets. That is kind of funny since we are the ones insistant on driving up prices as the first objective of the ill-named drugs wars. It should be called the American effort to drive up prices and consumption of the CIA unbrand products.
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