WHERE IS THE REAL SMOKING GATEWAY?

I have been a marijuana smoker who smoked for years. I also
experimented with tobacco, to the point of addiction, and I disagree
totally with the information in the article.

The article confuses two issues. The first is that of a gateway drug:
tobacco. Treated tobacco is a chemical concoction designed
specifically to create addiction. This addiction is largely physical
but is also psychological. Based on my work with at-risk youth, I
found that it is treated tobacco that breaks an individual's ability
to resist other substances. Scientific evidence shows that certain
people are, furthermore, genetically predisposed to substance abuse.

The second issue is marijuana. Based on experiences with about 30
people I know, the only type of addiction I have seen due to marijuana
is psychological. Just as some people are psychologically predisposed
to sitting down and watching the news when they get home, others might
smoke a joint. If you remove this daily stimulation, they will have to
undergo a transformative phase to get over their habituated routine
and its unique stimulations. As for a chemical dependence, our brains
are already flooded with dopamine. Human beings require dopamine to
function.

I suspect Baker's well-intentioned message is obfuscated by the
inability to differentiate between psychological addiction to
marijuana and the physical and psychological addiction to treated
tobacco. So I would recommend this: stay away from treated tobacco,
and if you have to wean yourself off treated tobacco, do it with
organic, non-chemically laced tobacco. That way you may enjoy a joint.

Alex Frei

Vancouve