POLL CASES THE JOINT

Although most Canadians would like to see less stringent marijuana laws,
one-third believe smoking pot leads to the use of harder drugs like heroin
and cocaine, according to a new Sun-Leger poll.

The cross-Canada survey of 1,501 people shows 35% of Canadians believe the
so-called "gateway" theory.

"It's interesting that we found that a majority of people want relaxed
marijuana laws but 35% still believe smoking it will lead to an increase in
the use of harder drugs," said Leger pollster Leslie Martin.

Nearly half the respondents -- 49% -- said marijuana would not lead to
harder drugs, while 9% said smoking pot would decrease the use of hard drugs.

The gateway hypothesis has long been at the centre of the legalization
debate and a guiding principle of the federal government's drug policy
since the 1950s.

But studies over the past 10 years have shown marijuana is no more a
gateway drug than alcohol or tobacco.

"This continues to be one of the leading misconceptions in Canada," said
lawyer John Conroy, who has worked on some of the country's biggest
marijuana court challenges.

"What is the first drug people try? It's tobacco," he said. "If you want to
find this gateway drug, look to tobacco or even caffeine."

The Canadian Senate's Special Committee on Illegal Drugs concluded last
fall that there is "no convincing evidence to establish the gateway
hypothesis."

The poll shows older people are more likely to believe smoking marijuana
starts one on a path to harder drugs. Of respondents over 65, 48% said they
thought pot increased the likelihood of hard drug use compared to 71% of
those between the ages 18-34 who said it did not.

The poll, conducted April 1-6, is considered accurate within 2.5 percentage
points 19 times out of 20.

Dr. Raju Hajela, a leader in the fight against the legalization of
marijuana, said people misunderstand the gateway theory. "Some people take
it literally to mean anyone who smokes marijuana will move on to other
drugs," Hajela said. "But the point is, if people don't start smoking
marijuana in their teen years, the likelihood they would start using other
drugs later is low."