You’re probably wrong about the substance (or substances) you consider to be a gateway drug — but it’s not your fault. For nearly 50 years, the idea that experimenting with mild drugs can or will inevitably — depending on the version you heard — lead to harder drug use and possibly addiction has been fervently pushed onto Americans by policy, law enforcement, and the media.
While there is some truth to this (research suggests that early exposure to certain substances can increase the likelihood of developing addiction), there is controversy around this theory and its legitimacy due to its politically motivated origins — the same origins that permanently etched the term in America’s psyche. Keep reading as we debunk the junk from the commonplace idea of gateway drugs.
What are gateway drugs?
The concept of the gateway drug theory suggests that dabbling in drugs, particularly “soft” drugs that are considered mild and socially acceptable, will eventually pave the way to experimentation with more potent and dangerous drugs. The leading thought behind this theory is that drug use, especially by adolescents, alters the brain to make it more likely to crave mind-altering substances, a phenomenon known as cross-sensitization.
The substances that are considered gateway drugs have changed over time. This evolution can largely be attributed to changes in attitudes towards drugs and their accessibility since the political environment at the time when the term was first coined.
Currently, the three substances most commonly referred to as gateway drugs are alcohol, nicotine, and marijuana — which are also the most commonly used drugs overall. Some modern-day definitions also include other easily accessible or popular drugs like ecstasy, inhalants, prescription medications, and steroids.
The original gateway drug, however, referred to marijuana. The psychedelic was believed to be the stepping stone preceding cocaine or heroin use. Marijuana was a mainstream concern in the eyes of the public when the concept of gateway drugs was first introduced.
The biased origins of the term
The term ‘gateway drug’ was first coined in the 1980s by a professor at Columbia University named Dr. Denise Kandel. A decade earlier, Dr. Kandel was approached by the National Institute on Drug Abuse to conduct a study about this concept, that drug use could lead to experimentation and abuse of other drugs later on. However, she was not asked to evaluate which drugs carried the greatest risk, but to look into one substance in particular: marijuana.
Why the focus on a recreational drug that not only has documented benefits, but has been proven to be less harmful than alcohol? The answer is simple: politics.
This request to Dr. Kandel was made during the Nixon administration, around the same time as the highly controversial “War on Drugs” campaign was launched in 1971. During this time, marijuana was at the forefront of cultural clashes and political agendas. (Nixon’s domestic policy chief, John Ehrlichman, went on record in 1994 admitting that these policies were not created due to a concern for public safety, but as a way to criminalize Nixon’s main opposition, hippies and minorities of color, both of who were known to partake in marijuana use, which threatened his re-election). As such, the intention of the study was not to further our understanding of drug use and addiction but rather a smear campaign for political gain.
The real gateway drug (and it’s not what you think)
Despite the biased origins of the study, Dr. Kandel indeed confirmed that a gateway drug effect was real. The source of the slippery slope into drug use, however, was not marijuana. Instead, she discovered it was legal drugs that had a strong correlation with sequential drug use among young people, particularly nicotine.
Nicotine primes the brain for addiction to other drugs on a molecular level, making the impacts of drugs like cocaine felt more strongly and last longer. It also enhanced the pleasurable effects of the cocaine more strongly, which is well-known to be pivotal to the development of addiction.
Addiction isn’t limited to drug type
There are many studies out there that prove real correlations between drug use habits and the first drug a person uses, or how drug use at a younger age shows heightened proclivities to drug use and addiction. While this can help identify the risk of drug addiction, it’s also important to consider the other factors at play that could influence a person’s decision to partake in the first place, such as genetics, environment, and mental health.
Similarly, it’s unwise to assume one is “safe” from the risk of addiction or relapse because the drug is not considered a ‘gateway’ or if it’s legal. All drugs have the potential to be habit-forming and dangerous. If you or a loved one is at risk, find a local addiction treatment center near you today.