In the Chronicle Nov. 21 article, "Professor leads the charge in battle against drug war," Donald Hollingsworth, drug policy coordinator for Mayor Lee Brown and Tom Arp, assistant commander of the Texas Department of Public Safety's narcotics unit, both agree that marijuana is a "gateway" drug to more insidious substances. This is an argument repeatedly offered by proponents of the drug war. However, the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, a major source of national survey data on drug use in the United states and conducted by the federal government since 1973, reports to the contrary. [continues 88 words]
However, the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, a major source of national survey data on drug use in the United states and conducted by the federal government since 1973, reports to the contrary. In 1997 NHSDA data showed that 36 percent of the population over 12 years old reported some drug use in their lifetimes, but that number dropped to 11 percent for use in the past year and to 6 percent in the past month. These percentages have not changed significantly in the national data in a generation and show that most illicit drug users are not "hard core" addicts. Experimental or casual use does not eventuate in continued or regular use. Rob Hellyer, Houston [end]
