right. but the vast majority of the people who use marijuana don t go on to those other drugs. so you re saying it s not that the pot necessarily leads to these things, it s just that he s that s what they were first able to get their hands on. a gateway drug is tobacco and alcohol. those are gateway drugs. i m really disturbed by the whole idea that whether or not something is addictive is a criteria for it being illegal. that whole logic is very flawed to me. if that s the case for sure alcohol has to be illegal, tobacco has to be illegal. pills have to be illegal. ambien. but it s very easy to demonize marijuana. it has been for so long. i think the studies are changing because more people have done it. it s a demoralizing attitude people have about the human relationship. when people ask you is it addictive it is? believe or not believe i ve been struggling with it my patients for 25 years. i ve treated 10,000 addicts in my career. probably 5 to 10% of them have marijua
gateway means. if people are saying the majority of people who use cocaine and use heroin have used marijuana that s absolutely right. but the vast majority of the people who use marijuana don t go on to those other drugs. so you re saying it s not that the pot necessarily leads to these things, it s just that he s that s what they were first able to get their hands on. a gateway drug is tobacco and alcohol. those are gateway drugs. i m really disturbed by the whole idea that whether or not something is addictive is a criteria for it being illegal. that whole logic is very flawed to me. if that s the case for sure alcohol has to be illegal, tobacco has to be illegal. pills have to be illegal. ambien. but it s very easy to demonize marijuana. it has been for so long. i think the studies are changing because more people have done it. and started to see what it s like in their mind. it s a demoralizing attitude people have about the human relationship. when people ask you is it
price and associate pro first of psychology at the at columbia university. doctor, you bring folks into the lab and test them. when people talk about this as a gateway drug do you buy that at all? we have to understand what gateway means. if people are saying the majority of people who use cocaine and use heroin have used marijuana that s absolutely right. but the vast majority of the people who use marijuana don t go on to those other drugs. so you re saying it s not that the pot necessarily leads to these things, it s just that he s that s what they were first able to get their hands on. a gateway drug is tobacco and alcohol. those are gateway drugs. i m really disturbed by the whole idea that whether or not something is addictive is a criteria for it being illegal. that whole logic is very flawed to me. if that s the case for sure alcohol has to be illegal, tobacco has to be illegal. pills have to be illegal. ambien. but it s very easy to demonize marijuana.
meth and heroin. but she preceded that with what the therapists here say are the typical gateway drugs of alcohol and marijuana. how often did you use marijuana? the first time i smoked marijuana i was 14. and i used it constantly throughout my other addictions. reporter: stella, brian and others who succeeded at this treatment sent gore to regularly scheduled support meetings with program counselors. do i want to be in recovery or i do want to smoke marijuana? reporter: we asked if they could meet before the next group session to learn more about their past and present struggles. life was still really unmanageable, even with just weed. it seemed no big deal but i was taking bong hits driving down the highway. and things were really crazy. reporter: brian talked about temptations to smoke again. i was speaking with someone earlier, and they asked are you ever concerned about major life event occurring that just all of a sudden you feel like you have no control and that
potency of today s pot makes the problem worse. the concentration of thc in marijuana today is 30%, 40%, in a typical smoke marijuana, versus 3%, 4%, thc concentration of the 60s and 70s. reporter: other drugs including alcohol and nicotine have higher addiction rates. but there is serious concern among those in the substance abuse field that colorado s new marijuana law will substantially increase the number of marijuana addicts. i think we ll see more people using it on a consistent basis. reporter: but addiction isn t the only concern. 22-year-old stella blessing is also a successful graduate. she was addicted to crack, meth and heroin. but she preceded that with what the therapists here say are the typical gateway drugs of alcohol and marijuana. how often did you use marijuana? the first time i smoked marijuana i was 14. and i used it constantly throughout my other addictions.