Drug addiction doesn’t just suddenly occur one day. Conditions predispose a person to addiction, and circumstances allow drug addiction to continue. For example, a person who is bored, stressed or depressed may look for solutions to alleviate that boredom, stress or depression. For them, if it’s accessible, marijuana may be the solution. Some say marijuana opens the door to other, more harmful drugs, and in that way marijuana itself is highly dangerous. Is marijuana in fact a ‘gateway’ to other drugs? Here are five answers to that question from experts in the field of drug addiction, substance abuse and treatment.
YES. According to a recent study by the Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, there was a pronounced difference in future drug use between kids who used marijuana and those who did not. In fact, teens who smoke marijuana are 85 times more likely to use cocaine than those who do not.
YES. In a study of 311 young adult pairs in 2003, Michael T. Lynskey, Ph.D., found that “Individuals who used cannabis by age 17 years had odds of other drug use, alcohol dependence, and drug abuse/dependence that were 2.1 to 5.2 times higher than those of their co-twin, who did not use cannabis before age 17 years… 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.”
YES. According to Narconon, one of the most successful drug rehabilitation programs in the world, marijuana is a “sticky” drug that lodges itself in the fatty tissues of a person and remains there long after use, sometimes for several months or longer. As trace amounts re-enter the bloodstream due to exercise or other vigorous physical activity, cravings start up. The marijuana user is forced to locate a drug source (other users and sellers). The source will sometimes diversify their offerings which leads the marijuana user on to other drugs.
YES. In the 2002 report, “Initiation of Marijuana Use: Trends, Patterns and Implications” from the US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the younger children are when they first use marijuana, the more likely they are to use cocaine and heroin and become dependent on drugs as adults.
YES. Tony Bylsma is a Certified Chemical Dependency Counselor with more than 30 years experience. “Very few individuals use other illegal drugs without first having used marijuana,” he says. “It’s not a sure bet in every last case, but marijuana users are in a position where they are in regular contact with users and sellers of other types of drugs
So, it is NOT true that people who use marijuana have some compulsion to try other drugs, the chance they will try other drugs, from based on the numbers-greatly increases.”
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