Cannabis [1] has been a staple part of cultures worldwide for millennia, whether accepted or vehemently banned.
This psychoactive plant goes by an overwhelming number of nicknames, including grass, weed, bud, Mary Jane, ganja, and so many more.
By the 1800s, pharmacies across Europe and the US were selling cannabis extract to treat nausea and stomach issues.
They soon discovered that it was the chemical THC present in cannabis that helped soothe these ailments.
This important compound, also known as delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol, makes its way through the bloodstream to provide various intoxicating effects.
These effects range depending on the person but often include:
Nowadays, cannabis is used recreationally in myriad ways, with its plants being shaped, moulded, and reproduced into hash, oils, liquids, or even baked goods.
Cannabis has garnered a dedicated global following and is now at the centre of legalisation debates across the world.
For a lot of people, usually the younger generation, cannabis is a positive substance with low danger and high reward.
But for older people or those against the drug, cannabis is a negative influence on people’s lives and is a gateway drug to more intense substances.
The Cannabis climate of the UK has remained steady in recent years, and it remains the population’s illegal drug of choice.
While legalised for medical use in November 2018, weed is most commonly used as a recreational drug in both private homes and party environments.
According to a recent study [2] that invited recreational cannabis users to take part via social media, regular use has remained high.
A shockingly high 87% of respondents admitted to using cannabis 24 hours before completing the survey.
While it’s not known whether they smoked or ingested their cannabis, this statistic points to a growing trend of daily use in the UK. [3]
The same study showed that people mostly took cannabis to cope with daily stresses or mental health disorders, to get to sleep, or because there’s a perceived lower risk of harm compared with class-A drugs.
Ever since its widespread recreational emergence in the 1920s, people have been wondering whether cannabis is a gateway drug to other illicit substances.
But what exactly is the gateway theory?
The idea of a gateway drug argues that the use of one substance leads to the misuse of “harder” drugs.
Also known as the stepping stone theory or the escalation hypothesis, the idea of cannabis as a gateway drug has been around for decades.
The term was coined in the 1980s, mostly to bring attention to the war on drugs, a cultural battle that cannabis had been placed at the heart of.
Even in 2024, those who disapprove of cannabis being legalised often refer back to the gateway theory.
Evidence to back the initial theory stemmed from a few controversial animal studies. These tests exposed animals to certain types of substances at an early age and find an increased probability of developing addictive behaviours to other drugs.
Post-mortem tests found that the reward systems in the brains of animals exposed to substances early were altered compared to normal animals.
So, it was concluded that the early use of certain drugs leads animals to become more vulnerable to future addictions.
Soon enough, cannabis overtook nicotine and tobacco to become the figurehead for the gateway drug hypothesis.
Viewed as a public threat, the prospect of cannabis catalyzing further drug addictions played into the agendas of politicians and anti-cannabis campaigners.
Animal studies that exposed young rodents to THC early in their lives [4] found that they were more inclined to develop addictions to other substances.
This is because various changes to neuropathways were noted by scientists.
However, animal tests weren’t the only ways people sought to provide evidence for this theory.
One US study conducted in 2015 [5] looked at over 6,600 individuals who reported using cannabis prior to the use of any other substance, including alcohol.
Results showed that there was a 44.7 percent chance that participants would use other drugs, which is a higher chance than in the rest of the US population.
Many people have taken this to mean that cannabis is, without a doubt, a substance that acts as a gateway in one or or more ways.
The biggest supporters of the gateway theory argue that cannabis changes how the brain responds to other substances.
Some go further to posit that weed alters the amount of drugs someone must use before developing an addiction, lowering their threshold.
Cannabis is the substance most often accused of being a gateway to harder, illicit drugs such as heroin and cocaine.
However, this is a hotly debated topic among clinicians, especially as many of the gateway theory studies are outdated.
Disentangling a clear answer to the question “Is Cannabis a gateway drug?” has been difficult for years, partly because it’s a politicised topic.
Pro-cannabis people often argue that cannabis is a positive substance with little to no risk of harm, whilst others believe that is is dangerous [6] and always carried the risk of drug addiction.
However, it has become clear that some of the evidence used to posit cannabis as a gateway drug is low quality.
The animal studies mentioned previously are ultimately unhelpful, as it’s unclear whether cannabis has the same effect on humans as it does on rodents.
What’s more, human-related studies have been exposed as having various problems.
One was found to have hidden bias influencing the results, while another’s authors advised that the quality of evidence was low.
In essence, there is little solid evidence to back up the claims that cannabis gives users “a taste” for using harder, more lethal drugs.
Although many people smoke or ingest weed before using other drugs, this isn’t evidence that cannabis led them down this path.
There are simply too many environmental, social and genetic factors at play.
After decades of use, the gateway drug theory isn’t the only myth surrounding cannabis.[7]
Because it’s either hated or loved, everyone has something to say about this substance, whether it’s warning youngsters that “it only takes one puff”, or listing the health benefits of weed.
One prominent myth is that cannabis makes users lazy and unable to function day-to-day. [8]
While some strains of the drug cause sudden sleepiness, this isn’t always the case.
Many athletes, artists, and generally active people choose to ingest cannabis for either its calming or energising effects.
Another false narrative is that it’s simply impossible to overdose on cannabis. [9]
While it’s true that there are no recorded fatal overdoses from cannabis, this doesn’t mean people can’t suffer from dangerously high doses.
Ingesting too much weed, also called a greenout, can leave you feeling incredibly sick, and can cause dangerous levels of dehydration.
But perhaps the most perpetuated myth is that cannabis is non-addictive.
Many proponents of legalisation across the world have argued that cannabis simply can’t be addictive and that reports of dependency are fabricated or untrue.
Like anything in life, whether it’s a substance or behaviour, cannabis can be addictive [10] and lead to a condition known as Cannabis Use Disorder.
While research into cannabis addiction suggested that cannabis use rarely produced tolerance and withdrawal, that doesn’t mean it isn’t psychologically addictive.
What’s more, the levels of THC in an average bag of weed are much higher now than in the 1960s when many of these studies were carried out.
More recently, it has been found that cannabis dependence may affect someone’s ability to respond to dopamine: our main pleasure neurotransmitter.
Instead of leading someone to use other drugs, cannabis can be a gateway to addiction itself.
Cannabis Use Disorder isn’t just an unhealthy habit, it is a serious illness requiring proper diagnosis and treatment.
Harmful dependence on Cannabis is highlighted as a medical condition in the DSM-5 handbook [11] for various mental health disorders.
This gold-standard text explains that using weed might not spark a physical addiction, but withdrawal symptoms from the substance can be physical.
The very real condition that is Cannabis Use Disorder starts in the brain.
THC interacts and activates proteins in the brain known as cannabinoid receptors, as well as releasing dopamine.
These receptors are important in areas of memory, learning, and most importantly, processing reward.
When smoking or ingesting weed becomes synonymous with pleasure, the user is at serious risk of addiction.
But how do the symptoms of cannabis addiction manifest?
Thankfully, the DSM-5 provides a useful criteria of 11 symptoms which can be accessed by both doctors and patients online.
The symptoms of Cannabis Use Disorder are as follows:
While cannabis might not necessarily be a gateway drug, unrestricted use carries a number of physical and mental risks.
If you’re worried that your relationship with cannabis is becoming worrisome, or that a loved one has become dependent on weed, now is the time to seek help.
While cannabis has been largely debunked as a gateway drug, what this article has shown is that long-term health risks are possible.
Thankfully, there are more resources than ever to help you or a loved one begin a life without cannabis.
To find out more information or to simply speak with an expert, call Rehab 4 Addiction today.
If your loved one cannot see that their dependence has gotten out of hand, we can help you arrange a professional intervention.
Because cannabis use is becoming more normalised, it can be hard for people to see themselves as addicted. An interventionist can help your loved one find a route to recovery.
After this, we can help the addiction sufferer access the best treatment possible for their specific needs, budget and preferences.
Every addiction treatment service in Britain that we recommend is vetted by either the Care Quality Commission (England and Wales) or the Care Inspectorate (Scotland).
Get the help you need to overcome cannabis addiction by giving our team a call for free on 0800 140 4690.
[1]https://www.google.com.vn/books/edition/Cannabis_and_Cannabinoids/qH-2Lj9x7L4C?hl=en&gbpv=0
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10802163/
[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4827836/
[5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4929049/
[6] https://nida.nih.gov/publications/drugfacts/cannabis-marijuana
[7] https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2020/02/professor-explores-marijuanas-safe-use-and-addiction/
[8] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7570835/
[9] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK425748/
[10] https://www.nhsinform.scot/healthy-living/drugs-and-drug-use/common-drugs/cannabis
[11] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3767415/
Boris is our editor-in-chief at Rehab 4 Addiction. Boris is an addiction expert with more than 20 years in the field. His expertise covers a broad of topics relating to addiction, rehab and recovery. Boris is an addiction therapist and assists in the alcohol detox and rehab process. Boris has been featured on a variety of websites, including the BBC, Verywell Mind and Healthline. You can connect with Boris online at LinkedIn or X.com.
