Since the 1970s, those who have opposed cannabis legalization often tout it as a gateway to other substances. However, a new study shines a light on the facts.

The idea of cannabis being a gateway drug comes from messaging of the War on Drugs - a campaign that attempted to reduce drug use within the United States. It’s this campaign where cannabis was classified as a Schedule I substance - a drug with solid evidence for addiction and no proof of medical use.

With 37 U.S. states now having legalized medical marijuana, it’s safe to say these claims are extremely outdated. Yet, they continue to impact legalization efforts and the opinion of lawmakers who oppose marijuana.This is also true in concerns with the claim that cannabis is a gateway drug. However, a new study published by the University of Colorado Boulder found otherwise. Here’s what they had to say

Cannabis Legalization Does Not Lead to an Increase in Substance Abuse Disorders

According to new CU Boulder research, legalizing recreational cannabis (on a state level) showed no evidence for increased substance abuse disorders or illicit drug use among adults. On top of this, the study reveals a decrease in alcohol-related problems.¹The researchers observed 4,000 twins from Colorado and Minnesota to come to this data. These participants (now aged 24 to 49) were followed since adolescence and had information collected concerning their use of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and other illicit substances. What helps this study stand apart from others is the fact that Colorado was legalized in 2014.

This allowed researchers to compare any changes in drug use behavior in contrast to the Minnesotian participants, who still don’t have legal access to recreational cannabis. As a result, the researcher found that legalization does not increase illicit drug use but that participants saw no adverse changes to their cognitive, psychological, social, relationship, or financial behaviors.“We didn’t find any support for many of the harms people worry about with legalization,” explained Stephanie Zellers, lead author and a graduate student at CU Boulder’s Institute for Behavioural Genetics (IBG). “From a public health perspective, these results are reassuring.

Admittedly, previous studies have found that in states where cannabis is legalized, substance usage increases by 20%.² Still, this doesn’t necessarily indicate that more problems occur due to increased usage.The most recent team of researchers sought out answers by looking at survey results that include 23 measures of “psychosocial distress.” This consists of the usage of other substances as well as psychotic behaviors, financial distress, cognitive problems, unemployment, and relationships.“We included everything we had data on to get a well-rounded look at the impacts on the whole person,” said Zellers. “Big picture, there’s not much here.”To further these statements, Zellers’ team found no significant increase in cannabis use disorders upon legalization. With that final point, the age-old expression “marijuana is a gateway drug” can safely be confirmed as outdated.

So, is Cannabis Risk-Free?

This shouldn’t be considered solid evidence that cannabis legalization comes without risks. With almost a decade of experience behind us, we now have a clearer idea of the risks legalization poses and, better yet, how to make changes to these. Perhaps the most notable is an increase in cannabis use among youth.³ While all states require you to be 21 years of age to purchase marijuana, the legal sale has made it easier for minors to gain access to this substance. The biggest concern with this is the fact that marijuana has proven to have a negative impact on developing brains.4More specifically, it’s been found to lower verbal memory, slightly reduce levels of IQ, and lead to potential mental health problems, including depression. More research is needed to understand the relationship between youth marijuana use and these mental complications.

However, the evidence is clear that you should be at least 21 to start a marijuana habit. On top of this, a number of news stories have appeared linking marijuana legalization to increase usage among children. More specifically, children accidentally consume marijuana products, mistaking them for treats.5This is more an issue of package labeling rather than legalization itself. Since legal marijuana products appear similar to that candy products, children can’t tell the difference. A simple solution to this issue would be to place stricter measures on cannabis packaging. Finally, there have been reports that cannabis legalization has led to increased emergency room visits by marijuana consumers. More notably, more people are “overdosing” on marijuana.6While these issues saw some prevalence in early legalization, they didn’t have as significant an impact as headlines made it out. Furthermore, most who found.

themselves in emergency rooms were inexperienced with marijuana. In other words, they had no idea what the proper dose was and took too much. Therefore, this issue can quickly be resolved with more education in the cannabis space.

Final Word

The bottom line of this research is cannabis legalization does not pose all the risks those in opposition often associate with that. Beyond this, public health may improve due to legalization. According to two large studies, the legalization of medical cannabis led to a 25% decrease in deaths from opiate overdoses7While legalization certainly has risks, many of these can be mitigated with proper education and regulation. On top of this, in our opinion, these risks are minimal compared to the benefits cannabis can have on society.

Still, they’re worth considering, and we’d be interested in more research on the pros and cons of public health upon cannabis legalization. Unfortunately, we’ll likely need more time with legal marijuana before coming to solid conclusions. Until then, the research we do have is a clear indication that we’ve been misguided about marijuana for decades now. And while confident lawmakers will continue to use this misinformation as a platform of opposition, we will continue to focus on the facts.