Marijuana Is Not a Gateway Drug, Scientists Conclude

More than half of the study’s respondents under age 60 have used it at some point, but fewer than 10 percent use it regularly

By Abigail Abesamis

Weed is not a gateway drug after all, according a collection of charts that have “traced the pattern of use of the drug for more than 40 years,” The Drinks Business reported.

The Brian C. Bennett drug charts can be found on the Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy website.

“Marijuana’s reputation as a ‘gateway’ drug is not supported, even for more marijuana use,” said William Martin, director of the Baker Institute’s Drug Policy Program. “More than half of respondents under 60 have used it during their lifetime, but fewer than 10 percent use it regularly.”

He continued, “Far fewer people progress to harder drugs. Current monthly use of cocaine is 0.6 percent; for heroin and methamphetamines, only 0.2 percent.”

What should we actually be worried about? Alcohol, Martin said.

“Alcohol causes far more personal and social damage than any other drug. Illegal drugs comprise less than 20 percent of substance-use disorders in the U.S.,” Martin said.