Marijuana is a gateway drug - Essay Example

Marijuana is a gateway drug According to ification accorded by Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), marijuana remains as a Schedule I substance in accordance to the Controlled Substances Act. This act classifies schedule I drugs as substances that have high potential for abuse. Marijuana in the U.S.A became considered a gateway drug due to the effects in hard on its users.In reassessing the gateway effect of marijuana, a number of evidence became brought to explain its effect. There is a relative risk of getting initiated into using harder drugs in both users and non users.

In a study, conducted in the U.S regarding progression risk of marijuana users to harder drugs was found to be 85 times higher than in non users (Liccardo 34). The second evidence that support marijuana as a gateway drug deals with the hierarchy of the drug. It is assumed and proved by various researchers that alcohol precedes all drugs, followed by tobacco products, marijuana and then hard drugs. Therefore, the likelihood of one trying hard drugs after marijuana abuse remains high. For instance, a sample of 1,265 New York youths aged between 15 and 25, in a study conducted on marijuana, three quarters reported to have used hard drugs after marijuana (Hall & Pacula 56).

In summary, from various researches conducted, evidence still point out to marijuana being a gateway drug.Works CitedPacula, Rosalie Liccardo. Adolescent alcohol and marijuana consumption: is there actually a gateway effect? New York: National Bureau of Economic Research, 2007. Wayne Hall, Rosalie Liccardo Pacula. Cannabis Use and Dependence: Public Health and Public Policy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003.