August 2006

Is it really true that smoking is a gateway drug to alcohol and more serious drugs?

Yes, studies have shown that teenagers who smoke are more likely than those who don’t to use other drugs. Teenagers who smoke are three times more likely to use alcohol, 14 times more likely to use marijuana, and 22 times more likely to use cocaine. Not only are teens who smoke more likely to try or even regularly use these drugs, they are also much more likely to become habitual smokers. Eighty-nine percent of current adult smokers started smoking before they were 19 years old. While many teenagers don’t see any harm in trying a cigarette, the fact is that teenagers become addicted to nicotine at a faster rate than adults and statistically have a harder time quitting. Once addicted to nicotine, the body begins to crave a stronger stimulant which can lead youths to try other, more “hard core” drugs. Smoking has also been linked to causing depressive episodes, suggesting that nicotine affects the central nervous system.

The community can be very influential in helping teens to quit smoking. Community interventions have multiple components and involve the family, school, churches, community organizations, and social service and health agencies. They often include altering the community so that cigarettes are not available to minors, as well as community members supporting a smoke-free environment. Other interventions include anti-drug and tobacco campaigns in the school, parent education, health policies, and media-based health promotion. Studies have found that community-based interventions are more effective when they occur concurrently so that positive reinforcements are everywhere.

Resources:

Focus Adolescent Services. What is a ‘drug?’ http://www.focusas.com/SubstanceAbuse.html

National Study Shows "Gateway" Drugs Lead to Cocaine Use. (1994). Columbia University Record, 20(10). Retrieved from http://www.columbia.edu/cu/record/archives/vol20/vol20_iss10/record2010.24.html

Lantz, P.M., Jacobson, P.D., Warner, K.E., Pollack, H., Berson, J., Ahlstrom, A. (2000). Investing in youth tobacco control: A review of smoking prevention and control strategies. Tobacco Control, 9, 47-36. http://tc.bmjjournals.com/cgi/reprint/9/1/47

Join Together. (2003) Teen Smoking, Pot Use Linked. http://www.jointogether.org/news/research/summaries/2003/teen-smoking-pot-use-linked.html

Smith, D. (2000). Smoking increases teen depression. Monitor in Psychology, 31(11). Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/monitor/dec00/smoking.html