In 2017, Jeffery Sessions stated that marijuana needs to be minimized, and that with it’s legalization, you will also see an increase in meth and heroin (Sessions, 2017). This belief is the Gateway Theory. The Gateway Theory describes the phenomenon in which an introduction to drug-using behavior through the use of tobacco, alcohol, or marijuana is related to subsequent use of other illicit drugs (Encyclopedia.com, 2017). However, if alcohol and tobacco are included in this definition, why are they not included? Is it true that marijuana alone is a gateway drug? Or is it even true that marijuana is a gateway drug to begin with? To examine this, research has examined if marijuana leads to harder drug use, as well as if alcohol or tobacco has a gateway effect. Policy leaders, such as Jeffery Sessions, base laws off of policy. Policy is defended by research, and thus research is the driver of policy. Research by Kolansky and Moore lead to marijuana being labeled as dangerous to both the public and users, as these individuals would develop delusions of grandeur, become gay, and suffer severe mental issues (Kolansky and Moore, 1971, as cited by Mosher and Atkins, pg. 13, 2014). However, research has disagreed, with some research stating there is a direct correlation (Fergusson, Boden, and Horwood, 2006), while others state that there are multiple gateway drugs (O’Connel and Bou-Matar, 2007 and Melberg, Jones, and Bretteville-Jensen, 2010). These inconsistencies present an issue with gateway theory. With policy being dictated based off of claims with uncertain research, it is important to reinvestigate this issue. Does marijuana use lead to hard drug use as Gateway Theory states?

Marijuana was used medicinally as far back as the early 1800’s, including use by George Washington and Queen Victoria (Mosher and Akins, 2014, pg. 7). In the 1930’s a shift began to happen. Marijuana was seen as a drug used by Mexican immigrants (Mosher and Akins, 2014, pg. 8). This resulted in laws designed to target immigrants, and thus made marijuana into a demonized drug. This shift resulted in new laws, such as the Marijuana Tax Act, and turned marijuana into the “the most violent of all sexual stimulants” (Mosher and Akins, 2014, pg. 8). Films, journals, and magazines began targeting marijuana, even though research was not supporting the assertations being shown by media (Mosher and Akins, 2014, pg. 11). However, during this time, the head of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics stated that they had not seen any cases where a marijuana user graduated into a cocaine, heroin, or opium user (Mosher and Akins, 2014, pg. 12). At this stage, marijuana was not denoted as a gateway drug, but rather as a drug used by immigrants.
This research is quantitative based and exploratory. It is cross sectional in design. As such, a survey was decided on to conduct the research for this project. To test if Gateway Theory offers an explanation for marijuana use leading to hard drug use, a survey was constructed. The survey asks respondents if they have ever used alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, crack, ecstasy, LSD, or any other unlisted drug. It then asks at what age, if any, the respondent used this substance(s). Then it asks if respondents used any of these drugs in the last year, month, and if they used it in the last month, about how many days in the last 30 did they use this substance(s). This is done to identify which drug, if any, the respondent first used, and if they ever used a hard drug after. Using this model, it is possible to establish if the respondent used any of the 3 gateway drugs being tested, which are alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana, which one they used first, and if they proceeded to use harder drugs after. These drugs were identified as prior research suggests that marijuana, alcohol, or tobacco may all represent a gateway drug (see Fergusson, Boden, and Horwood, 2006, O’Connel and Bou-Matar, 2007 and Melberg, Jones, and Bretteville-Jensen, 2010). This will identify if there is a correlation between any of these 3 drugs to hard drug use, as well as establish a time order identifying which drug was first used.
For the purpose of this study, a hard drug will be defined by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) Schedule of Drugs, and Schedule 1 and 2 drugs, but excluding prescription drugs. The definition used by the DEA for Class 1 drugs states that these drugs are “drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse (DEA, 2017). Class 2 drugs are defined as drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with a high potential for abuse, with use potentially leading to severe psychological or physical dependence” (DEA, 2017). This definition was chosen as it is the DEA who enforces drug laws, and is overseen by the U.S. Department of Justice. These are the legal laws regarding these drugs. However, the previous definition of Gateway Theory does not work as it was earlier proposed. By definition, marijuana is already an illicit drug, and cannot be a gateway drug. As such, a modified definition that is not the one used by law enforcement will be used. The definition used in this study for Gateway Theory states that “the use of less deleterious drugs may lead to a future risk of using more dangerous hard drugs and/or crime” (Pudney, 2002). This definition allows for marijuana to be classified under a Gateway Drug, as well as tobacco and alcohol.
As the design is cross sectional and the method is quantitative, a large sample size is needed to achieve a representative sample. As the main campus in Las Vegas, New Mexico offers that largest student population, it was chosen as the site for this project (New Mexico Highlands University, 2017). The investigator will approach faculty on campus with the survey and ask to conduct the survey in class. The sample will be as large as possible, with faculty from multiple departments being approached about the survey. Classes will range from freshmen to graduates in an effort to achieve a diverse and normally distributed sample. Sampling will be done by availability, with students present in class asked to participate. Students under the age of 18 will be excluded, and students will be asked to only take the survey once to prevent double sampling. Students will be informed of the intent of the survey, and told that participation is voluntary, and they may refuse to participate with no penalty. Students will also be informed they may stop the survey at any time, or not answer questions they are not comfortable with. A cover letter will also be handed out with the survey containing this information, as well as contact information for the principle investigator, faculty sponsor, and IRB chair. The investigator will offer no incentives to participate, however faculty may offer extra credit if they decide to. Responses will be kept by the investigator in a locked drawer until responses are entered into SPSS. Once it is entered, the surveys will be destroyed. The SPSS data will be kept on a locked laptop accessible only to the researcher that is password protected.
Once the data is collected, it will be coded into the SPSS statistical analysis software. As this research is looking for correlations, a Pearson’s correlation will be performed. However, this only shows correlations between one variable and the result. In addition to Pearson’s, a linear regression will be run as regression can compare multiple independent variables at once and establish a prediction based off of the interactions. ANOVA will also be run to see if the amount of drug use over the last month is correlated with ever using hard drugs, and Chi Square to test if there is a correlation between any of the 3 gateway drugs and hard drug use. This combination measures if there is a correlation between pot use and hard drug use, which drug is more likely to lead to hard drug use, and see if the amount of use is a predictor of hard drug use.
Data will be collected and analized on April 2018.
As it was not possible to get the IRB cleared in time for this project, a pilot project was performed. The survey met internal validity testing, as a Cronbach Alpha was performed. The survey obtained a .748 on the alpha, which is acceptable. A small group volunteered to take the survey, provide data, and provide feedback on the survey. In the pilot, 22 subjects participated.
A Pearson’s correlation was performed to check for associations between if an individual ever used alcohol, tobacco, or marijuana and hard drug use. It was also run to check for association between alcohol, tobacco, or marijuana use in the last year was correlated with hard drug use and if alcohol, tobacco, or marijuana use in the last month was associated with hard drug use. Regression was run to determine if hard drug use could be predicted by the respondent ever using marijuana, tobacco, or alcohol, respondents using marijuana, tobacco, or alcohol in the last year, and respondents using marijuana, tobacco, and alcohol in the past month. Finally, ANOVA was run for marijuana use ever, in the last year, and in the last month to check for correlations to hard drug use. This was run for alcohol, tobacco, and also what drug the respondent first used.
A marginal correlation was found between if the respondent smoked marijuana that year and hard drug use, r (17) = .387, p = .062. However, a significant correlation was found between marijuana use that month and if the respondent ever used hard drugs, r (17) = .627, p = .004. Stepwise regression showed there was a significant effect for the age an individual first used marijuana and how often they used it in the last month with hard drug use, F (2, 14) = 2.268, p = .035. However, this significance is lost when alcohol and tobacco are factored in through model building.