Is marijuana a stimulant or gateway drug?

Answer 1

The thinking behind the gateway drug theory is that by experiencing "being high" for the first time on Marijuana it might make that person more curious about other types of highs from different drugs and thus they will begin experimenting with those drugs. This has probably happened to people before, but many people who smoke Marijuana don't go on to try harder drugs.

Answer

Marijuana is not a gateway drug. There is no such thing as a gateway drug.

People say that marijuana is a gateway drug, because the vast majority of people who are addicted to hard drugs (like heroin, cocaine, or speed) begin their drug use with marijuana. However, this does not take into account that countless people begin their drug use with marijuana, but never use, or become addicted to, hard drugs.

Have you ever heard the saying, "All poodles are dogs, but not all dogs are poodles?" In other words, yes, most drug addicts begin their drug use with marijuana, but that doesn't mean that everyone who uses marijuana will become a drug addict. Saying that everyone who uses marijuana will become a drug addict is like saying all dogs are poodles.

The truth is that marijuana is the least harmful drug you can use. It is virtually impossible to overdose on it -- the only marijuana death I have ever heard of was a five year-old girl who died after eating a pound (yes, a pound) of marijuana that her mother had baked into some brownies. It is virtually impossible to die from smoking or ingesting marijuana, not counting lung cancer and other smoking-related diseases.

Because it is the least harmful drug you can use, and because it is the most commonly used drug (besides alcohol), it is usually the first drug people try when they begin experimenting with drugs. Some of them go on to be drug addicts, but the majority don't. The majority just stick to marijuana, and never try anything else (or, try harder drugs, but don't get addicted to them).

Additionally, it is very hard for a non-drug user to find out where to buy hard drugs like heroin, cocaine, or speed. You have to know people, in order to be given the number of a drug dealer. So, a non-drug user will have a very hard time beginning his drug use with, say, heroin, because he won't be able to find a dealer who sells it. But since so many people smoke weed, it's relatively easy to get in touch with people who smoke it, and who know where to buy it. And once you've started hanging around people who smoke pot, eventually you're going to meet someone who knows where to get harder drugs. No one is going to give you the number of a heroin dealer, unless they trust you, and believe you're not a police officer. And no one is going to trust you, and believe you're not a police officer, unless you smoke marijuana and hang out with other people who smoke it.

For example, let's say that 100 teenagers tried marijuana for the first time today. In five years, 10 of them (10%) will be heroin, cocaine, or speed addicts. The other 90 (90%) continue to smoke pot (or don't), but never become addicted to hard drugs. If you look only at the 10 who became drug addicts, you might say, "Hey, look, all these drug addicts began their drug use with marijuana. That must mean that marijuana use leads to heroin/cocaine/speed addiction!" No, it doesn't. Out of those 100 teenagers, 90 of them did not become drug addicts just because they used marijuana.

Therefore, the theory of "gateway" drugs is completely, absolutely, 100% false.

Answer 2

It might stimulate your munchies mechanism but that's about it. People generally choose to smoke pot to escape life for a bit. When that too gets boring sometimes the person will move onto another drug. So it could be considered a gateway drug.

Answer 3

it is not only the person who smokes the weed then decides to use another drug can make it a gateway drug