Publication type
Research Paper
Series Number
253
Series
Research Study
Author
Publication date
January 1, 2002
Abstract:
This study investigates the routes by which young people develop patterns of drug-using and offending behaviour. Survey data are used to assess the gateway effect - the tendency for soft drug use to lead to subsequent hard drug use and criminal activity. We argue that apparently strong gateway effects can be due to unobservable personal characteristics which produce a spurious association between different forms of problem behaviour. After correcting statistically for these confounding factors, gateway effects appear small. This casts doubt on the view that a more relaxed policy stance on soft drugs will lead to a hard drug epidemic.
Related Publications
-
The road to ruin? Sequences of initiation into drug use and offending by young people in Britain
Stephen Pudney,Journal Article - 20030601
#519602