Aotearoa Patients Group

  • Home
  • Aotearoa Patients Group

Aotearoa Patients Group Action Potential Growth = APG

09/07/2025

Despite awareness of the potential health benefits of psilocybin, new figures show that criminal charges related to the drug are increasing.

07/07/2025

Hi friends, welcome to Mythbuster Monday! Our new feature where we look at pernicious myths about drugs and check them for solid evidence🧐

This month we're looking at Gateway Drugs [TM].

You’ve probably heard the claim: that drug use follows a set path from relatively low-risk to high-risk substances.

According to the myth, people generally start with alcohol or ni****ne, then move on to cannabis, then to riskier drugs like co***ne or he**in, which allegedly lead to addiction, poverty, general chaos, and ⚰.

That idea is the Gateway Drug Hypothesis, introduced by researchers in the 1970s who observed a pattern: many people who tried other drugs had used cannabis first.

BUT

Just because two things happen in sequence doesn’t mean one causes the other. Most people who use cannabis never go on to use other illicit drugs. Even the original researchers warned that correlation does not imply causation.

But policymakers embraced the myth. They liked it because it was simple, emotionally powerful, and fit perfectly with the War on Drugs narrative. School programmes like D.A.R.E. spread it, using fear tactics to claim cannabis use would lead to addiction.

That message isn’t just factually incorrect. It continues to cause real harm, especially to young people and marginalised communities 😒🤬

Next week, we’ll look at what the research actually says about drug use patterns and why this myth keeps hanging on.

Address


Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Aotearoa Patients Group posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

  • Want your practice to be the top-listed Clinic?

Share