Is Medical Marijuana Destined to Become a Gateway Drug

Is Medical Marijuana Destined To Become A Gateway Drug?

Medical Marijuana has a myriad of anticipation, some positive and some negative. There are opponents of medicinal pot who claim that the new found status of Marijuana will be destined to that of an express gateway to other drugs. It’s almost as if this omnipotent plant can take a person by the hand, and walk them right into a crack house or shove a pill down someone’s throat. What is a gateway drug anyway?

If you spend a considerable amount of time in a bar, there’s a lot of human behavior to notice before becoming inebriated. Many times a beer drinker will be consuming several bottles of his favorite brew, when all of a sudden he hears, “shots for everyone.” Unable to resist a free shot of alcohol, the beer drinker has now crossed over into a different liquor zone. Was the beer a gateway drug? Did the beer take the man by the hand and say, “down this shot?” No and no. Whoever coughed up the dough for a free round of shots, prompted the crossover. Even without the free shot nudge, many bar patrons simply shift gears on their own. Whether it’s because of the mood they’re in, the music, people around them, or a combination of escalating revelry, people simply want a change of pace sometimes.

When I reflect on the past, and try to place the tag of “gateway drug or drink”, it just doesn’t fit. Dave is the one who gave me a “Long Island Iced Tea” for the first time. My dentist hooked me up with the first pain prescription pill, and members of my first Jazz group were the ones that ushered in the “dark side” of my illicit experimentation phase. Drugs are not portals in and of themselves. Based on my reflections, I only recall “gateway people”. I can make a list of every gateway individual that gave me an initial free round of whatever. Medical Marijuana will be the new drug war scapegoat. A spike in barbiturates? – Must be that dang gateway drug Medical Marijuana. A new street drug gaining popularity? – Must be that dang gateway drug Medical Marijuana. A cure for Cancer? – Couldn’t possibly be tied to the Tetrahydrocannibinol in that dang gateway drug Medical Marijuana.

Until the carnival atmosphere surrounding Medical Marijuana subsides, there will be pro and con proclamations fired off on a regular basis. Whether or not Medical Marijuana is destined to become the ultimate gateway drug remains to be seen, but I’m convinced that only “gateway people” exist.