Is Marijuana a "gateway" Drug...?

i believe that alcohol is the gateway drug.

i've tried a number of recreational drugs, but all before i'd ever tried marijuana. after i tried pot and decided that i liked it, i rarely did anything else.

I do not agree that it is a gateway drug.

I think if you are going to try other drugs, it has nothing to do with what you take first.

I think that cigarettes are the gateway drug. And alcohol. And they are both legal. And they kill more people every year than all the illegal substances combined (but meth is giving them a run for their money in that race).

I agree. Alcohol and cigarettes are the gateways, not marijuanna.

Nope. The correct answer is "Alcohol".

I used to smoke hash at uni but it made me all dopey and not able to concentrate very well so I stopped. Had some good times with it though

Had some bad too *shudders* but that was because i combined it with alcohol and no food

Ding Ding Ding Alcohol was my gateway drug.

From alcohol it went to Pot...

Tried Cocaine Extacy Mushrooms RX Medications..

Marijuana is typically Lumped in there with the worst of them when really Alcohol and the Cocktail of RX drugs that are pushed on Americans are far more dangerous!

Further more at this point I have been drug-free from all "illegal" Substances for 2 months and it hasn't been an issue what so ever. Alcohol seems to be more addictive than any of thoose... well besides the RX's and the Cocaine.

I agree with sillychick.

Cigarettes are the true gateway drug.

While some people might have experimented with other drugs first. Such as alcohol or marijuana. The majority of people that do experiment with drugs and alcohol at a young age, first experiment with cigarettes.

Looking back at school. Most of the people that experimented with smoking or were already past that stage ended up experimenting with other drugs and alcohol.

One thing that I've noticed since my main interest is smoking cessation. If you notice all the celebreties that have drug and alcohol problems. Be it marijuana, vicodin, heroin, alcohol, speed, cocaine etc. Most of these celebreties have one thing in common. About 95% of them also smoke cigarettes.


Eric

No it is not. I feel very strongly about this. If it is a gateway drug, it is only because it is illegal. Otherwise, putting it in a different category would not lead people to make the association between it and hard drugs, and would also prevent them from being exposed to hard drugs/people who sell them when trying to obtain marijuana.

tobacco is more of a gateway drug, because once somebody allows themselves to begin using a harmful and physically addictive drug at a young age, they break down a psychological barrier and can have fewer qualms about using addictive drugs like cocaine and heroin.

Not in the sense that it is labeled that way and alchohol and cigarrettes are not. As soon as you start doing stuff you've been told not to, the trend may or may not continue. Weed is not a gateway drug, people just get a gateway mentality.

Imagine that smoking weed is a widely accepted behavior. If someone takes up that habit, they have not yet crossed the "bad behavior" line and would likely not continue to experiment (except with maybe tobacco because of their similarities). Just the same, imagine that you grew up hearing, "Don't drink soda and alcohol." Those who try soda and like it will likely also try alcohol. Weed becomes a gateway drug because it is illegal, once you get into the "illegal territory" and enjoy it, you may continue to the next thing.

As a side note, many pot smokers have a firm opposition to any substance altered by man including OTC pain relievers. I find that most people who experiment and are able to come out of their bad habits will tell you that weed was the one thing they didn't really regret.

I would have to agree with an above post, alcohol is more likely to cause you to engage in stupid behavior which you would otherwise avoid.

I wish we could just shake the brain wash out of the world. Maybe jail wouldn't be such a thriving business then (yes, jail is a HUGE business).

Yep....cigarettes and alcohol are gateway drugs, not pot.