KEEPING DRUG ILLEGAL CAUSES PROBLEMS

Gordon C. Cockett's concern (Letters, July 31) about a gateway from
marijuana to harder drugs was laid to rest by the Institute of
Medicine's 1997 study of medical marijuana.

Notions of progression to addictive drugs were dashed to the ground
with this rebuttal: "Whereas the stepping stone hypothesis presumes a
predominantly physiological component to drug progression, the
gateway theory is a social theory. The latter does not suggest that
the pharmacological qualities of marijuana make it a risk factor for
progression to other drug use. Instead it is the legal status of
marijuana that makes it a gateway drug." The report can be viewed
online at www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/marimed/ch3.html.

The IOM study clearly indicates that outlawing marijuana is the
source of any gateway effect. The reason being that many marijuana
dealers also sell heroin and cocaine and encourage pot users to try
something new from time to time.

The plain truth is that keeping cannabis illegal is the real gateway.

Ralph Givens

Daly City, Calif.