INACCURATE LABEL: Weed isn’t a gateway drug. You’re being swayed by outdated propaganda
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here are likely more people than you think that have consumed marijuana today, and there’s nothing wrong with them doing so. In America alone, 48.2 million people use marijuana, both recreationally and medically, to treat psychological conditions like depression and anxiety along with physiological ailments such as chronic pain. Others use it to simply relax. There are many misconceptions around marijuana, one of the biggest being the false narrative that it is a “gateway drug.”
For many cannabis consumers, usage is a way to treat conditions that would usually require the consumption of harsher substances. As America continues to fight its major opioid crisis, some people are turning to weed instead of prescription drugs. In this sense, marijuana is working against the definition of being a gateway drug.
When you search “gateway drug” on the internet, it’s challenging to find a definition that doesn’t include marijuana. Lack of accurate facts about cannabis and other drugs is problematic, as false perceptions are further perpetuated about the substance. Public perception is everything in the conversation around marijuana. Inaccurate content leads to opposition of proposed progressive legislation that would stimulate research and deepen knowledge regarding cannabis use, if passed. These inaccuracies also cause greater harm for those imprisoned for marijuana charges.
The argument for marijuana’s description as a gateway drug usually comes from the idea that people who have done or are addicted to hard drugs tried marijuana prior. This is correlation, not causation.
Ashlyn Umbach, a Syracuse University neuroscience graduate and addiction researcher, explained that individuals who are more vulnerable to substance use or addiction tend to start off with what are perceived as gateway drugs — marijuana, nicotine and alcohol — due to their accessibility. A variety of other factors including socioeconomic status, mental illness, disabilities and race play into increasing someone’s likelihood of trying harder substances. She said “this does not mean the consumption of “gateway drugs” leads to the usage of more intense illicit substances.”
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From Reefer Madness, an American propaganda film on marijuana, to the beginning of the War on Drugs in 1971 and even now, the United States government has taken an aggressive and racially motivated stand against the herb.
We are still feeling these actions today. Former president Richard Nixon’s domestic policy chair admitted this intent when he explained that the reason behind starting the War On Drugs was to stop the two “enemies” of the White House, which he described as “the antiwar Left and Black people.” The Nixon Administration’s plan worked to disturbing perfection, as they were able to incarcerate massive numbers of people of color for nonviolent marijuana and other drug charges. This fabricated declaration of war set the precedent for the U.S. to find new ways to take advantage of the prison system as an alternative for slavery.
Opponents fighting the legalization of marijuana cite outdated government propaganda that paints cannabis as an extremely harmful gateway substance. Continuing to push the narrative that marijuana directly leads to the use of heavier drugs allows legislators to pass bills that heavily criminalize weed.
Marijuana is classified as a schedule one substance by the Drug Enforcement Agency, putting it on a more serious legal level than Fentanyl and Oxycodone. Drugs designated as schedule one substances have strict regulations and for those using or selling them, it can mean felony charges. Although people may feel sick or lose motor function if they consume too much cannabis, no fatal dose has ever been consumed by an adult.
Due to varying brain chemistry, some people experience adverse effects when using marjuana. An increase in public knowledge on how weed aids and harms certain users would greatly benefit the general public. Although marijuana use is difficult to research in a controlled, scientific setting, national legalization would allow more effective testing techniques surrounding cannabis use to be developed. Legalization would remove the research barriers to begin proper studies of cannabis.
Of course, if you choose to use marijuana, enjoy it responsibly and safely. If you are someone who doesn’t like marijuana, that’s okay, but understand that this medicine is not a gateway substance that will result in illicit drug use. Voting in favor of nationally legalizing marijuana will save lives and keep innocent people out of prison.
Conor Sarasin is a Junior Environmental Studies Major. His Column appears bi-weekly. He can be reached at cjsarasi@syr.edu.
