'Just Say No' to the gateway theory of pot
An interactive look at which drugs people start using right after they first use marijuana—and what that really means
Thursday, April 23, 2015
Many young adults remember their childhood participation in Drug Abuse Resistance Education, better known by the acronym D.A.R.E. One of the program's core messages is that marijuana is a "gateway" to all sorts of other substances. D.A.R.E's effectiveness was later called into question, and its curriculum overhauled, but the legend remains. The scientist who coined the "gateway" term recently came out with a new paper showing that it's actually nicotine that is, biologically, the most potent of gateway of all.