Of course cannabis is a gateway drug. This phrase being the classic negative connotation is assuming drugs in general are negative.
Opening your mind to psycedelics, or opiate meditation, is far different than "the kinds of stoner" scene from 'Half Baked' graduating from your guy to pusherman. my 02
I think you'd havr a hard time finding someone who blows sess for upwards of a couple years who hasnr tried other things.
Trying to take a half O to the dome in a sitting is probably a lot heaver than some lines of coke or a hit of blotter.
The bud v alcohol stance is really only applicable to those with a tolerance and a ritual. Take a substance naive perso, and they will recover a lot faster from a fifth of vodka, than an 8th of herb, assuming they don't stop breathing.