Is Marijuana Gateway Drug?

Running Head; MARIJUANA GATEWAY THEORY 1
Marijuana Gateway Theory
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MARIJUANA GATEWAY THEORY 2
Is Marijuana Gateway Drug?
Introduction
Marijuana is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. It has become one of the most
commonly used drugs for both recreational purposes and also medical-related needs. Like any
other drug, marijuana has its side effects. These effects will depend on the way the drug has been
used and also the amount used. In some cases, one may consider marijuana as a soft drug, and as
a result, they find it’s as harmless. On the other hand, other people believe that the drug cans
may result to other adverse effects which will substantially have negative impacts on those using
them. There is a lot of debate related to whether marijuana is a getaway drug or if it acts as a
gateway drug. A gateway drug can be considered as one that is supposed to lead a particular
individual that uses them to drugs that are more addictive and dangerous.
In consideration to this case, I firmly believe and support that marijuana is a gateway
drug. Typically, people who uses this drug and particularly in high levels tend to be affected
negatively through additions. Other than that, the drug can also result in an individual having the
need and quest of getting to use drugs that are addictive and those that may even result in strong
addictions in general. Some researchers suggest that marijuana has a high probability to precede
the use of substances that can either be illicit or licit. This will result in the development of
addition to other drug substance that is generally not good for the health of any individuals.
1. Marijuana decreases the brain activity rate
The use of cannabinoids particularly in adolescence individuals tend to decreases the rate
of activity of their brains dopamine reward center afterward in their adulthood, and as a result, it
generates to these individuals thus explaining the vulnerabilities for addition to other drug

MARIJUANA GATEWAY THEORY 3
substances that these people will misuse later in life. However, in most case, people tend to use
the drug not as a gateway drug but for recreational or even medical-related purposes (Nkyi,
2015). Marijuana will prepare an individual’s brain to response to other substances which are
considered as cross-sensitization. It tends to heighten activities that the brain engages in and as a
result, it results to its users having a higher probability of seeking substances that are much
strong in one way or another (Volkow, Baler, Compton & Weiss, 2014).
In general, drug use behaviors are mainly contributed by some factors which can either
be genetic or environmental. These factors contribute to the genetic makeup of people, lining
environmental, family history and community effects in consideration to their likelihood of
getting to try a particular drug. Marijuana is one of the common factors that will significantly
affect an individual’s risk of getting to work substance which may be having dangerous effects in
general (Kandel&Kandel, 2015).
2. Increases vulnerability rate to developing other disorders
Marijuana use is related with an increased vulnerability rate to developing other disorders
even to those individuals that have no any history. Like most commonly abused drugs, marijuana
alters people’s attention, motivation, ability to learn and also their memories. There are a large
number of people that have been reported using marijuana and later making it one of the most
commonly used illicit drug, particularly in the United States (Sarkar, Nebhinani, Gupta,
Parakh&Basu, 2016). Marijuana creates an individual’s tolerance to active medications. A study
that was published mainly in the international journal of drug policy found that approximately
forty-five percent of an individual that uses marijuana tend to use another illicit drug later in their
lives. One of these common drugs, in this case, is heroin. Studies have a theory that most of the