Study Shows That Alcohol, Not Cannabis Is The Major "Gateway Drug"

[Jacob Redmond]

A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Florida has shown that alcohol is far more of a "gateway drug" than Cannabis is.

The study concluded that:

Results from the Guttman scale indicated that alcohol represented the "gateway" drug, leading to the use of tobacco, Cannabis, and other illicit substances. Moreover, students who used alcohol exhibited a significantly greater likelihood of using both licit and illicit drugs. The findings from this investigation support that alcohol should receive primary attention in school-based substance abuse prevention programming, as the use of other substances could be impacted by delaying or preventing alcohol use. Therefore, it seems prudent for school and public health officials to focus prevention efforts, policies, and monies, on addressing adolescent alcohol use.

According to the study's co-author, Adam E. Barry, the later in life that a person consumes alcohol, the less likely they are to abuse drugs. Also, it seems that in most cases, use of alcohol and tobacco comes earlier in life than the use of Cannabis.

"By delaying the onset of alcohol initiation, rates of both licit substance abuse like tobacco and illicit substance use like Cannabis and other drugs will be positively affected, and they'll hopefully go down," Barry said in an interview with Raw Story.

Barry said that his studies were intended to correct some of the propaganda that has infected American culture since the "Reefer Madness" era.

"Some of these earlier iterations needed to be fleshed out, that's why we wanted to study this. The latest form of the gateway theory is that it begins with [marijuana] and moves on finally to what laypeople often call 'harder drugs.' As you can see from the findings of our study, it confirmed this gateway hypothesis, but it follows progression from licit substances, specifically alcohol, and moves on to illicit substances," Barry said.

"So, basically, if we know what someone says with regards to their alcohol use, then we should be able to predict what they respond to with other [drugs]. Another way to say it is, if we know someone has done [the least prevalent drug] heroin, then we can assume they have tried all the others. I think [these results] have to do with level of access children have to alcohol, and that alcohol is viewed as less harmful than some of these other substances," Barry added.

Just like prescription pills and tobacco, alcohol is seen as more socially acceptable in American society because the government approves of it. However, these substances are largely more dangerous than many of the illegal drugs that people have a deep fear of.

Since certain drugs are taken less seriously, people are more likely to abuse them and not keep their addiction in check. That is not to say that these legal drugs should be banned as well, in fact, all drugs should be legalized so honest discussions can be had about the uses and dangers of each drug.

News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Study Shows That Alcohol, Not Cannabis Is The Major "Gateway Drug"
Author: Web Staff
Contact: None Found
Photo Credit: AskMen
Website: Chronic Pain Solutions

 

[420 Warrior]

Just the title to this one alone makes me say..."DUHHH"!!! Really? ya think so?!!! No brainer alert!!!

Every person that I've ever known in my life that ever did any kind of drug, Cannabis included, got their start with alcohol, this is common knowledge. I could have told them this fact way before they spent tons of money researching it. I wish they would have just given me that money and saved all that wasted time.

 

[arteekay]

In other news, studies have suggested that childhood produces adults, nearly 100% of the time.

 

[OlderGrower]

I have to agree this was a no brainer.
But remember who we are dealing with, people who believe that MJ is more dangerous the tobacco and alcohol and is on the same leagues with heroin and crystal meth.
To us it is a no brainer, but to a lot of Americans this is ground breaking news.

 

[gentlhart]

I started in the later 70s wih tobacco, then beer, then cannabis and I really liked cannabis. From there was exposure to drugs. I was never really interested in trying them so I didn't see it a lot, I was aware that some were using and if I wanted to try them, it wouldn't be that hard to get some. By late 80s / early 90s, the coke and crank was getting more common so I had frequent exposure so ended up using some but saw where that was headed so I got off before I got hooked. In my case, how is it that it's cannabis's fault? I do agree that cannabis was the first illegal substance that hard drug users tried but starting at the legal/illegal line is starting at an artificial starting line. Just why was the starting line placed right before cannabis instead of at the starting line? Sure my use of cannabis exposed me enough to try coke and crank but that is the law's fault, not cannabis. If cannabis was legal, my exposure would have been far less and possibly I never would have tried it.

 

[420 Warrior]

I have to agree this was a no brainer.
But remember who we are dealing with, people who believe that MJ is more dangerous the tobacco and alcohol and is on the same leagues with heroin and crystal meth.
To us it is a no brainer, but to a lot of Americans this is ground breaking news.

Yea, but you would think that anyone with half a brain would know that alcohol is the one true "gateway drug", only slightly ahead of tobacco. But I think the common misconception with allot of people is that they don't even think of alcohol as being a "drug" in the first place, even though by definition anything that has altering effects on the human body is considered to be a drug. Alcohol is so over commercialized and promoted in every way imaginable these days and people have almost been lulled into actually believing that it's just a substance that's not really even a bad thing, maybe even good for you. That's what they want people to believe and it seems to be working for the "trendy" people in our society...it's total horse crap, but that's what all those "sheeple" believe.

I've been around alcoholics all my life, shit tons of them (my father included) and every single one of them are just so secure in their alcoholism because "it's legal" to drink and society just accepts it because on almost every billboard and commercial break and magazine add and so many other places we come across in our everyday life, there's another alcohol add for us to see and people are just now figuring out that alcohol is a "gateway drug"??? That deserves a big ole stinky WTF???

How could these people possibly not realize that by forcing alcohol adds and commercials down our kids throats every time they open a magazine at the doctors office or watch a ball game or ride in a car down the highway that they will eventually sneak around and get drunk behind their parents backs? Again, how could they possibly not realize this happens all the time? Really, Do they honestly believe that kids can't get their hands on alcohol? UMM...news flash, they can and do and all they want of it too if they have the right friends and enough money! After all, if you drink a certain kind of Mexican beer, you'll be just like "The Most Interesting Man In The World" right?

So like I said earlier, all they had to do was ask me and I could have saved the a shit ton of money and time on this "research", I would have happily taken their money and they could have spent that precious time on figuring out why Cannabis is still illegal!
:icon_roll

 

[420 Warrior]

In other news, studies have suggested that childhood produces adults, nearly 100% of the time.

LMAO, true dat!

 

[stones55]

"... in fact, all drugs should be legalized so honest discussions can be had about the uses and dangers of each drug."

-------------
Our elected officials do not have the balls to legalize everything. And they will go to their grave trying to convince the American public that they are going to decrease the use of substances. GUESS WHAT ---- if one is going to use, one is going to use. The law has absolutely very little, if anything, to do with social behavior around substances.

All's one has to do is look at what happened SOLEY due to Prohibition of alcohol. The government tells the public that we're going to control you people. You WILL NOT have alcohol to consume. Well, just in NYC ALONE ---- 6000 "speakeasies". Yes, that's six thousand in NYC alone ---- most of them literally underground. The city streets were virtually empty at night because everyone had their place to go where they could drink, be themselves, enjoy music, and socialize with all the millions of people who knew that this law was CRAP.

Then, of course, the other result from our illustrious decision-makers was Al Capone and the likes who seized the opportunity to also tell our government to take a freaking hike. THEN, JUST LIKE TODAY, THE MAJORITY SPOKE.

I am an individual who is a "war" victim of my government. My house was raped by the law and my armful of medical cannabis plants went one way and I went another way. A victim of our government's decision to go against the will of the majority, I was threatened with three years of prison if I even mentioned, "medical cannabis" or if I one more time refuted what substance exactly IS the gateway drug. I kept my mouth shut for three years with three years of incarceration hanging over my head. (I did see the inside of a cell on three, yes three different occasions for a total of 7 days due to this saga. Seven days of my freedom stripped from me.

One of these days, the tide will have completed its shift --- a shift that NEVER should have had to take place in order for people to have THE FREEDOM OF CHOICE as to what they wish or choose to put into their bodies.

Gateway drug, MY ASS.

Peace.
Somewhere in NYS.

 

[stones55]

Everyone has their personal take on this issue and most have personal experiences that supplement this issue. The "starting line" is alcohol and ANYONE who takes a different position that this is either ignorant or they are lying to the listener AND THEMSELVES. The assessment of what one is the "gateway" is a no brainer.

Just don't EVER, EVER --- I SAID EVER EXPECT OUR GOVERNMENT AND THEIR LOVING BEDMATE, BIG BUSINESS TO ADMIT THE FACTS BECAUSE, WELL, THERE'S NOTHING IN IT FOR THEM.

Peace.

 

[420 Warrior]

Everyone has their personal take on this issue and most have personal experiences that supplement this issue. The "starting line" is alcohol and ANYONE who takes a different position that this is either ignorant or they are lying to the listener AND THEMSELVES. The assessment of what one is the "gateway" is a no brainer.

Just don't EVER, EVER --- I SAID EVER EXPECT OUR GOVERNMENT AND THEIR LOVING BEDMATE, BIG BUSINESS TO ADMIT THE FACTS BECAUSE, WELL, THERE'S NOTHING IN IT FOR THEM.

Peace.

Yea politicians certainly love their night caps, but no where near as much as they love their lobbyist kick backs. ::

Can anyone say "Greed Addiction"?