Pubdate: Tue, 01 Apr 2014
Source: Minnesota Daily (U of MN,  Minneapolis, MN Edu)
Copyright: 2014 Minnesota Daily
Contact:  http://www.mndaily.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1280
Author: Connor Nikolic
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Marijuana - Medicinal)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Marijuana)

THE GATEWAY DRUG LABEL IS DANGEROUS

The Notion That Pot Is a Gateway Drug Limits Children's Grasp of 
Safer Substance Use.

Lawmakers who are critical of marijuana often point to the drug's 
status as a "gateway" to harder substances. However, recent studies 
suggest that alcohol consumption and tobacco use are more likely to 
lead to hard drugs than marijuana. With these results in mind, 
Minnesotans should question their view of pot while lawmakers are on 
the verge of considering medical marijuana.

A 2012 study in the Journal of School Health revealed that alcohol 
served as gateway drug for high school students, leading to tobacco, 
marijuana and more illicit drug use. In addition, the 2013 Boynton 
Health Services survey shows that 23 percent of all tobacco users at 
the University have used other illegal drugs (not including 
marijuana) in the past year, compared to just 3.5 percent of 
non-tobacco users. Given statistics showing loose links to numerous 
drugs, rather than pot as the sole instigator, we need to re-evaluate 
drug education and future legislation.

The Journal of School Health's findings show that the majority of 
high school students who used drugs consumed alcohol more often than 
any other substance. Tobacco and marijuana also had a role, but 
alcohol was the closest to a "gateway drug."

Moving past the gateway drug hype, parents and educators need to 
focus on teaching kids about the effects of alcohol consumption and 
provide children with role models who use the drug correctly, if at 
all. The parents and instructors who told children that alcohol was 
bad and never let them sample or understand it only built up a taboo 
in children's minds. They made the product desirable, while also 
ignoring safe or safer drug use. This is like teaching 
abstinence-only education and expecting kids to have safe sex.

Lawmakers recently proposed medical marijuana legislation in the 
Minnesota Legislature and several other states. Former Gov. Tim 
Pawlenty vetoed a similar bill in 2009, and Gov. Mark Dayton has said 
he intends to strike down any bills legalizing marijuana until the 
law enforcement community decides to support it.

I believe that legislation making the drug illegal, especially for 
medicinal purposes, is counterproductive to states' interests because 
it prevents patients from receiving the drug, while people continue 
to abuse it recreationally.

If anything, legalizing the drug would make it less desirable for 
young people to experiment with. Parents will ideally be able to 
explain safer use of the drug to their kids and the ramifications of 
improper use.

But the legality of the drug is not the real issue here. No matter 
what parents do and what educators say, teenagers will always have 
access to illegal drugs. Parents and teachers can protect children 
from misusing drugs, if we teach them more than simply turning away 
from such substances.

Rather, we must go further and demonstrate how to find information 
and the health risks of using drugs improperly. If an illicit drug 
like Molly tempts a teenager, they're less likely to accept, and in 
turn misuse, if they know more than "drugs are bad."

The logic of defining one drug or another as a "gateway" goes against 
the issue of keeping illegal and dangerous drugs from harming 
Minnesota's youth. Better education, more than better laws, is how we 
can save children.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom