Marijuana is NOT a 'gateway' drug. What leads to people trying marijuana, meth, alcohol, cigarettes, etc. is something everyone has in common...it's called CURIOSITY. Some people wonder about drugs, but never actually try them and some people don't. It's our own choices that lead us other things. I had never tried anything, or even really wanted to until after I was 18. The first thing I ever did was drink a beer. Wow, big deal. I didn't become an alcoholic or anything, and even to this day I RARELY touch alcohol. I don't smoke cigarettes, and can't stand them. I don't abuse prescription pills, or buy them illegally. And I don't buy alcohol/tobacco for people underage. As far as marijuana goes, I tried that a couple years AFTER I had initially had my first beer. So the argument of it being a gateway drug is total bs. Now if you're somewhere trying to get some weed, and there are people there trying to get you to try other drugs, if you're weak when it comes to peer pressure, then you may try them & potentially become addicted or just move on from pot to the harder drugs. But again, that is a personal choice to give in and try them. Marijuana is not what made you try them. YOU are what made you try them. And when it comes to becoming addicted to 'harder' drugs, that can also have a lot to do with your body. Some people are more susceptible to becoming addicted than others are.
But I must say, that some people just shouldn't be smoking marijuana.