gateway drug

noun

: a drug (such as alcohol or marijuana) whose use is thought to lead to the use of and dependence on a harder drug (such as cocaine or heroin)

Examples of gateway drug in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Congress ultimately ignored Carter’s support for decriminalization, alarmed by a sharp increase in cocaine use and viewing cannabis as a gateway drug. —Tribune Content Agency, The Mercury News, 31 Dec. 2024

If weed is indeed a gateway drug, Waking Life is something like a gateway film. —Vulture Editors, Vulture, 20 Apr. 2024

The old Washington habit of defending the global security order is a gateway drug to rampant interventionism. —James F. Jeffrey, Foreign Affairs, 23 June 2021

Makary has warned that marijuana is a gateway drug and not as safe as people think. —Will Yakowicz, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1981, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

gateway drug

noun

: a drug (as marijuana) whose use is thought to lead to the use of and dependence on a harder drug that is more addictive and harmful to health

Medical Definition

gateway drug

noun

gate·​way drug ˈgāt-ˌwā- 

: a drug (such as alcohol or marijuana) whose use is thought to lead to the use of and dependence on more dangerous, addicting substances (such as cocaine or heroin)

To end at the beginning, nicotine … is now considered a "gateway drug," as it commonly precedes and is comorbid with other substance use.

—Donald A. Henderson, The Journal of the American Medical Association