Oky doky. This is the first of many entries i plan to write exploring all aspects of legalization and the effects on our society. I will get started off by looking at the gateway effect in which i feel is surrounded by many common misconceptions; beginning with the definition.
The "gateway" effect (also called snowball effect, stepping stone hypothesis etc) has been hindering the legalization process for many years. This effect suggests that because a marijuana user has taken the step towards the illegal substance, they are more willing to experiment with harder drugs such as cocaine, heroine, or you name it. The word gateway has derived from exactly this; once a person has experimented with marijuana, they are in the gateway and inevitably will dabble in other areas. Now I'm not to sure how this rubs you, but it comes across as a huge generalization to me.
With the current policies that are in effect, how can marijuana not be a stepping stone. If we could swap cannabis laws with those of caffeine for a year what would you imagine the outcome would look like?
Quite simply it is CLEAR that our social state that binds marijuana with these stigmas. Get real. If prohibition against the substance was no longer, this would not be a discussion. It’s simply foolish to suggest that if marijuana was legal it would still carry the "gateway" hypothesis around on its back.
Give legalization a thought, or at least explore the outcomes from an objective state of mind.
Quite a lot of research regarding the gateway effect has been conducted, however after reading the studies they tend to bias one side or the other. Fortunately this morning I stumbled upon a 2010 University of New Hampshire study that provides great incite.
Through a random sample of young adults, statistics were examined in attempt to pinpoint any evidence suggesting the presence of a gateway effect. The results are absolutely interesting; so interesting in fact im not going to bother summarizing, here they are:
Given the above evidence one fact is clear; we are in need of new marijuana policies. In order to control marijuana's availability to specific age groups, cannabis must be legalized and regulated. Lets be honest, the guy selling weed down the street doesn't age discriminate; a regulated and governed store requires proof of age and government ID for purchase.
All I ask is as Canadian citizens we take a step back and look at what impacts our society as a whole. In present times it seems evident that our policies regarding marijuana are outdated and should be reconsidered.
Keep your eye out for more "Examining Legalization".
"The researchers found that young adults who did not graduate from high school or attend college were more likely to have used marijuana as teenagers and other illicit substances in young adulthood. In addition, those who used marijuana as teenagers and were unemployed following high school were more likely to use other illicit drugs.
However, the association between teenage marijuana use and other illicit drug abuse by young adults fades once stresses, such as unemployment, diminish.
"Employment in young adulthood can protect people by 'closing' the marijuana gateway, so over-criminalizing youth marijuana use might create more serious problems if it interferes with later employment opportunities," Van Gundy says.
In addition, once young adults reach age 21, the gateway effect subsides entirely.
"While marijuana use may serve as a gateway to other illicit drug use in adolescence, our results indicate that the effect may be short-lived, subsiding by age 21. Interestingly, age emerges as a protective status above and beyond the other life statuses and conditions considered here. We find that respondents 'age out' of marijuana's gateway effect regardless of early teen stress exposure or education, work, or family statuses," the researchers say."Click here for more of the article
Given the above evidence one fact is clear; we are in need of new marijuana policies. In order to control marijuana's availability to specific age groups, cannabis must be legalized and regulated. Lets be honest, the guy selling weed down the street doesn't age discriminate; a regulated and governed store requires proof of age and government ID for purchase.
All I ask is as Canadian citizens we take a step back and look at what impacts our society as a whole. In present times it seems evident that our policies regarding marijuana are outdated and should be reconsidered.
Keep your eye out for more "Examining Legalization".