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Scientists years ago dismissed the notion of the gateway theory that marijuana use leads to harder drugs, and study after study fails to support this hypothesis.

(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

By Sabrina Fendrick

The only thing worse than Edward M. Henderson's vitriolic criticism of state Sen. Nicholas Scutari's public support for recreational marijuana legalization ("Scutari must be high to recommend legalizing pot," Feb. 5) is the reefer madness rhetoric he uses to defend his position.

Henderson suggests that implementing retail rules, tax regulations and age restrictions on a product that — despite its total prohibition, is still widely used — “would open a floodgate of problems as the number of functioning addicts would explode and a crime epidemic would lead to a health epidemic.” He considers marijuana “a gateway drug to other drugs, such as cocaine and heroin, as well as addiction and substance abuse.”

However, scientists dismissed the notion of the gateway theory years ago, and study after study fails to support this hypothesis. All the way back in 1999, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, in a report commissioned by the White House, found no "evidence that the drug effects of marijuana are causally linked to the subsequent abuse of other illicit drugs."

What's more, a 2002 RAND study found similar results. Lead researcher, Andrew Morral, who is also the associate director of RAND's Public Safety and Justice Unit said, "While the gateway theory has enjoyed popular acceptance, scientists have always had their doubts. Our study shows that these doubts are justified."

After analyzing data from the U.S. National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (which measures patterns and frequency of self-reported drug use among Americans), researchers concluded that teenagers who tried hard drugs were predisposed to do so whether or not they tried marijuana. Morral said, “The people who are predisposed to use drugs and have the opportunity to use drugs are more likely than others to use both marijuana and harder drugs.”

The gateway theory has been debunked time and again — and it would behoove the anti-marijuana crusaders to concede this fact.

By any objective measure, marijuana prohibition has been a spectacular failure. Criminals are the only ones who profit from these laws, and willingly sell to anyone with cash (no ID required). Our current policy wastes billions of taxpayer dollars every year enforcing these needless laws which, in turn, cripple millions of people with lifelong arrest records, significantly limiting their employment opportunities and access to other important social benefits.

Henderson fails to realize that prohibition is the absence of control.

There is no control over who can buy pot, nor are there any safety standards for the production and distribution of the product itself. Illegal dealers run the market, and conflicts are solved on the street with weapons and violence.

Legal or not, a demand exists and containment is the only way to manage this reality. The purpose of marijuana legalization is to regulate the market, manage the demand and control who can buy it.

Teens are the most vulnerable population when it comes to how the substance affects their growing bodies. Yet, under prohibition they continue to have widespread, unfettered access to pot — which is far more available and used at a much higher rate than alcohol and tobacco (two legal, age-restricted products).

In fact, teen alcohol rates have fallen dramatically (from about 70 percent of 12th-graders to about 40 percent) with adolescents reporting that it is much harder to access booze than pot. This is a result of government controls and strict regulations — not prohibition.

We need a policy that will acknowledge, and can adequately respond to, the reality of our society’s relationship with pot. It’s not about whether people are going to use marijuana — humans have been consuming cannabis for hundreds of years, and will continue to do so despite any modern day laws.

A legal marijuana regime consisting of age controls, tax regulations and a message of moderation for adults will not only lower crime and generate revenue, it will minimize adolescent consumption and encourage science-based harm-reduction education, as well as an open, honest dialogue with our children.

Sabrina Fendrick is the director of women's outreach at the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws in Washington.

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