I think the gateway thing is real, in that you usually smoke pot first, then try other stuff later on like coke etc. I wonder if more people smoking pot will lead to more abuse of other stuff. I don't think smoking pot is a horrible thing, but there is going to be some consequences to legalizing it, still too many people doing hard time for a recreational hobby, probably no worse for you than alcohol, when alcohol is used in moderation.
The gateway thing is not real. It was concocted in the mind of people who were never high a day in their life.
Why is that?
Because each drug has a different high. If you are tired and need more energy, do you smoke a joint? No, you smoke meth, or snort some coke.
If you're all stressed out and need to unwind, you wouldn't reach for the crack pipe. You'd smoke a joint or have a drink.
If you're totally depressed, heroin is probably your drug of choice.
It's like saying asprin is a gateway drug to viagra.