HealthDay News: Addictions researcher quoted on marijuana as "gateway drug"

Richard D. Blondell, director of addictions research, is quoted in an article distributed by HealthDay news service about a study that casts doubt on the argument that marijuana is a "gateway drug" that plays a major role in leading people to try other illegal drugs. "The study doesn't really answer the question," he says. "There is no single answer to why someone develops addiction." The article also reports that in a recent study, Blondell and colleagues at UB reported that new research suggests that many people first get addicted to drugs while using prescription painkillers. The article appeared in BusinessWeek.