Marijuana: Gateway Drug or Not?

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Recent studies conducted by the University of Pittsburgh says 'no'. A 12 year study, following a few hundred teenage boys from age 12 to age 24, aims to prove that marijuana is not in fact a gateway drug. The boys followed were broken into three groups: those who used only alcohol and/or tobacco, those who used alcohol and/or cigarettes and graduated to marijuana use, and those who used marijuana and then moved on to other drugs and substances. What they found was that of the few (28) boys who used both marijuana and harder substances, around half actually used other substances *prior* to marijuana. And the majority of users did not graduate to other substance abuse. I found this interesting as I was just talking with a friend last night about that very subject. It has been proven a few times, in various studies, that the majority of marijuana users don't go on to harder substances. Mainly because those who use marijuana and enjoy that particular effect don't *need* to look elsewhere. There aren't any other drugs that afford the same manner of high as marijuana. Besides that, you can always just take more marijuana to get a 'better' high. It's impossible to OD on it. In cases where hard drug use does develop, most times there's some underlying issue. Studies have shown that the factors include income, parental involvement, and early exposure to drug. Children who grow up exposed to drugs and with little parental involvement are more likely to use hard drugs than others. Also, mental health plays a part in it. One would think all that would just be common sense, really. Speaking from personal experience, I don't know any marijuana user who's gone on to use anything harder. A handful have tried LSD once or twice, but have not become habitual users. But it's impossible to ignore the fact that there are those who start with marijuana and then move on to much more dangerous and debilitating drugs. So I guess that just begs the question: is it the plant or the people?