Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, Aug 27, 2025

Does cannabis lead to harder drug use?

Leading Democrats have clashed over whether legalising cannabis leads to harder drug use - what's the evidence?

There's strong disagreement among Democratic contenders for the US presidency about legalising cannabis and it's been a flashpoint in their televised debates.

Joe Biden, currently the leading contender in the race, won't be drawn either way. He wants more evidence about whether using it could act as a "gateway" to the use of harder drugs before it's legalised throughout the US.

"Before I legalise it nationally," said Biden, "I want to make sure we know a lot more about the science behind it."

But other Democrats, such as Cory Booker and Kamala Harris, have attacked this approach, saying the evidence is clear-cut and that cannabis use should be legalised.

Senator Booker, who supports legalisation, joked that he thought Mr Biden "might have been high" when he said he opposed legalisation. Senator Harris has said: "Let's be clear; marijuana isn't a gateway drug and should be legalised."

Other senior Democrats such as Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren also say they support legalisation.

Polling by the Pew Research Center shows that public support for legalisation has steadily increased in the last decade, with two-thirds of Americans now supporting it.


What does the science say?

Some 33 states have legalised medical cannabis, while 11 states and Washington DC have also legalised recreational use. But cannabis use remains illegal at the federal level.

So is there evidence legalising cannabis could lead to the use of more dangerous substances?

The US government's own National Institute on Drug Abuse states that "some research suggests that marijuana use is likely to precede use of other licit and illicit substances". It cites experiments on animals that show increased responsiveness to other drugs after being exposed to substances containing cannabis.

However, it adds that cannabis is not unique - alcohol and nicotine have a similar effect. And it states that the majority of people who use marijuana do not go on to use other, "harder" substances.

Denise Kandel, from the Mailman School of Public Health in New York, says research on animals shows changes in the way the brain responds to cocaine after exposure to alcohol, nicotine or marijuana.

She also says: "You are never able to establish a clear connection between using marijuana and using other drugs because there are so many other contributing factors that you can't control for in the research."

A paper published recently by the American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse says: "Evidence of the impact of cannabis liberalisation on the use of other substances is inconclusive. We have limited evidence of how either alcohol or tobacco use has been impacted."


What's happened in states that have legalised?

There's evidence that in states where cannabis has been legalised, usage of the drug among teenagers has decreased - or stayed the same.

There's also research indicating that among adults aged 26 and older, legalisation leads to more rather than less cannabis use.

And evidence has also emerged linking regular use of stronger strains of cannabis to an increased risk of mental health conditions, particularly among younger people.

Washington, Oregon, Alaska and Colorado all legalised between 2014 and 2016, among the first US states to do so. Do they show any particular trends for the use of harder drugs?

The US authorities collect data for drug overdose deaths, and between 2013 and 2017, 35 states had significant increases in deaths over that period. Alaska is among these, but Washington, Colorado and Oregon are not.

The majority of these fatal overdoses are due to opioids - excluding methadone.

Alaska apart, opioid deaths in Colorado, Washington and Oregon did not increase significantly between 2013 and 2016, the last year for which data is available.

And estimates for cocaine use in the four states where marijuana is legal show it was above the national average from 2013 to 2016. But it was also higher in three of these states in 2012 before legalisation had taken effect.

Given that there are many different factors in each state that affect drug use like availability and supply, treatment and rehabilitation programmes, law enforcement priorities and social and economic conditions, it's hard to draw firm conclusions.

So more research may well be needed over a longer period to identify if there are clear trends around the use of other drugs in places where cannabis has been legalised.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
A new faith called Robotheism claims artificial intelligence isn’t just smart but actually God itself
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
Labour set to freeze income tax thresholds in long-term 'stealth' tax raid
Coca‑Cola explores sale of Costa coffee chain
Trial hears dog walker was chased and fatally stabbed by trio
Restaurateur resigns from government hospitality council over tax criticism
Spanish City funfair shut after serious ride injury
Suspected arson at Ilford restaurant leaves three in critical condition
Tottenham beat Manchester City to go top of Premier League
Bank holiday heatwave to hit 30°C before remnants of Hurricane Erin arrive
UK to deploy immigration advisers to West Africa to block fake visas
Nurse who raped woman continued working for a year despite police alert
Drought forces closures of England’s canal routes, canceling boat holidays
Sweet tooth scents: food-inspired perfumes surge as weight-loss drugs suppress appetites
Experts warn Britain dangerously reliant on imported food
Family of Notting Hill Carnival murder victim call event unmanageable
Bunkers, Billions and Apocalypse: The Secret Compounds of Zuckerberg and the Tech Giants
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
×