Is marijuana a gateway drug?

Is marijuana a gateway drug?

David G. Ostrow (Medical Marijuana Doctor) gives expert video advice on: What are some potential side effects from using medical marijuana?; Is marijuana a gateway drug?; Does marijuana cause brain damage? and more...

That's another one of the myths that I think the federal government has propagated. When they couldn't come up with data on the negative effects of cannabis, they then switched to this gateway theory that people who use cannabis are much more likely to advance to other drugs. In reality, alcohol is probably the number one gateway drug in the United States. And I believe that research is coming out now that among adolescents and college age young adults, the use of prescription opiods and analgesics that they get from their family or friends' drug cabinets or they get from a doctor prescribed are really the drugs of experimentation which then may be gateways to other drug use.