Multiple theories behind gateway drugs and their influence on various generations, including a local analysis

Abstract

The gateway hypothesis has proven to be one of the most controversial hypotheses relating to drug use. Policies and regulations regarding the consumption of marijuana, alcohol, and tobacco vary widely globally due to a lack of agreement on the effects of such substances. Despite the ample research as of today, debates on this controversial topic persist. This is a literature-based study aimed at exploring and summarising various hypotheses and research regarding the gateway theory and the role of gateway drugs. This study is also comparative, evaluating the drug situation in European and non-European countries through surveys and experiments conducted in various periods. Despite the extensive literature about gateway drugs, much remains unclear. Whereas the gateway hypothesis helps outline connections between early and later drug use, for various reasons, it is still considered complicated due to discrepancies in initiation sequences and progression of drug use. Despite this, one cannot exclude the fact that several hypotheses mentioned in this study indicate that alcohol, marijuana, and tobacco are linked to other illicit drug use, especially among adolescents.