--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I do not believe that marijuana is a…" description: "\"I do not believe that marijuana is a gateway drug, and having been a mayor trying to keep my community safe, if there was any drug that was driving vio..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/290/cory-booker-2546_alcohol_i-do-not-believe-that-marijuana-is-a-gat_286025.jpg" --- # I do not believe that marijuana is a gateway drug, and… ![“I do not believe that marijuana is a gateway drug, and having been a mayor trying to keep my community safe, if there was any drug that was driving violence, more than marijuana, it was alcohol which is legal. And so I just don't think this is a gateway drug. And by the way, if you regulate it…” quote by Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/290/cory-booker-2546_alcohol_i-do-not-believe-that-marijuana-is-a-gat_286025.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/290/cory-booker-2546_alcohol_i-do-not-believe-that-marijuana-is-a-gat_286025.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/290/cory-booker-2546_alcohol_i-do-not-believe-that-marijuana-is-a-gat_286025.jpg) > “I do not believe that marijuana is a gateway drug, and having been a mayor trying to keep my community safe, if there was any drug that was driving violence, more than marijuana, it was alcohol which is legal. And so I just don't think this is a gateway drug. And by the way, if you regulate it you're actually going to overcome a lot of problems with people having to go to the streets to buy their drug. You don't know how dangerous that is.” [Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Marijuana is not a gateway; alcohol causes more violence, and regulation can reduce street crime. **In simple terms:** Marijuana isn’t the main problem; alcohol is. Key Takeaway Regulate marijuana to reduce illegal markets. Themes public policy substance use violence regulation public health Mood concerned hopeful Type policy advocacy When to use this quote - community safety meetings - legislative hearings - public health campaigns Key Concepts gateway theory harm reduction legalization Questions to Reflect On - How does legal status affect perception of risk? - What policies best reduce drug‑related violence? A Different Perspective Alcohol remains legal despite higher harm; regulation alone may not solve all issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alcohol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alcohol/) [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Driving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/driving/) [Drug](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drug/) [Marijuana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marijuana/) [Overcoming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overcoming/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Violence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violence/) [Wine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wine/) ## Related quotes > [Marijuana is a gateway drug that can lead to awful things, like Phish getting back together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/marijuana-is-a-gateway-drug-that-can-lead-to-awful-things-like-phish/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [“I stay away from weed because it's a gateway drug. I like heroine, you're not going anywhere from there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atticus/i-stay-away-from-weed-because-it-s-a-gateway-drug-i-like-heroine-you/) [Atticus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atticus/) > [“He told himself: Hope is a gateway drug, don't do it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/he-told-himself-hope-is-a-gateway-drug-don-t-do-it/) [Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) > [“Familiarity is the gateway drug to empathy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/io-tillett-wright/familiarity-is-the-gateway-drug-to-empathy/) [iO Tillett Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/io-tillett-wright/) > [“Wine is a gateway drug to environmentalism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-cole/wine-is-a-gateway-drug-to-environmentalism/) Katherine Cole > [“I'm meeting Ame at the Beanery first," Chloe responded. "I don't want to sound old-fashioned, but--" "It's gonna stunt my growth?" "It's a gateway…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celia-thomson/i-m-meeting-ame-at-the-beanery-first-chloe-responded-i-don-t-want-to/) [Celia Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celia-thomson/) > [You wanna know what a gateway drug is? It opens a gate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-mirman/you-wanna-know-what-a-gateway-drug-is-it-opens-a-gate/) [Eugene Mirman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-mirman/) > [Caffeine. 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Why don't we handle the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/the-federal-war-on-drugs-is-a-total-failure-the-federal-government-s/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [I took great pride in my performance on and off the field, and often questioned why our culture embraces alcohol while simultaneously stigmatizing those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-stepnoski/i-took-great-pride-in-my-performance-on-and-off-the-field-and-often/) Mark Stepnoski ## More by Cory Booker > [We've got to get back to a country that can get things done. And my whole career has been marching and charging at and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-booker/we-ve-got-to-get-back-to-a-country-that-can-get-things-done-and-my/) [Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/) > [If you want the things people don't have, you have to do the things other people will not do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-booker/if-you-want-the-things-people-don-t-have-you-have-to-do-the-things/) [Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/) > [“Deterrents properly placed can help. But that is not enough. 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