Does marijuana make you crave other drugs?

Anonymous said:

"I've always heard that marijuana will get you to crave other drugs, which is why some are against it being legalized. Is that true?"

The legal debate surrounding marijuana and it's use is extremely complicated and full of opinions. So primarily I'll answer the first part of your question: is marijuana a true "gateway drug", as it's been called sometimes?

No. DrugScience.org sites many studies that find no evidence marijuana makes you crave other hard drugs like cocaine or heroin. There is some relationship, however, for these users typically start with marijuana because of its easy access to young people:

DrugScience.org states-
"In the sense that marijuana use typically precedes rather than follows initiation of other illicit drug use, it is indeed a "gateway" drug. But because underage smoking and alcohol use typically precede marijuana use, marijuana is not the most common, and is rarely the first, "gateway" to illicit drug use. "

On the other hand, this could depend on the dealer. Sometimes dealers will lace marijuana with other, harder drugs and sell it to people who think they are “Just smoking weed.” If the dealer can get these people addicted to marijuana laced with heroin, for example, they have a good chance that the users will come back to them for the “stronger” weed. Eventually, without even realizing it, this user could become a heroin addict.

Besides lacing marijuana with other drugs, the "gateway" you have probably heard about is a mental one, not a physical craving. As for why marijuana is illegal...that would be a loooong discussion.