Is marijuana a gateway drug?
• Yes. Among marijuana’s most harmful consequences is its role in leading to the use of other illegal drugs like heroin and cocaine. Long-term studies of students who use drugs show that very few young people use other illegal drugs without first trying marijuana. While not all people who use marijuana go on to use other drugs, using marijuana sometimes lowers inhibitions about drug use and exposes users to a culture that encourages use of other drugs. • The risk of using cocaine has been estimated to be more than 104 times greater for those who have tried marijuana than for those who have never tried it.12 In Summary: • Marijuana is a dangerous, addictive drug that poses significant health threats to users. • Marijuana has no medical value that can’t be met more effectively by legal drugs. • Marijuana users are far more likely to use other drugs like cocaine and heroin than non-marijuana users. • Drug legalizers use “medical marijuana” as red herring in effort to advocate broader lega
