CORRECTION 2016: MARIJUANA IS NOT THE GATEWAY DRUG. IT'S CAFFEINE!

Real Talk, if we are going to be stern on DRUGS IN THE UNITED STATES, then some facts must be corrected (that perhaps the War on Drugs--falsely stated).  

Marijuana was once considered the GATE WAY DRUG. The substance that by usage, could induce usage to others more harsh drugs. Even during the 80's and 90's this false thought had many using it to caution teenagers and children of preventive drug usage.

The truth is CAFFEINE is the GATE WAY DRUG and the fact that it is served to children as a soft drink on furthers the problem.  REMEMBER the cola drink JOLT, which was removed from the market in 2002,  because of it's caffeine content of  280mg for 23.5oz. In comparison here are the caffeine levels of other caffeinated drinks: 

Soft drinks (12-ounce)	caffeine (mg)		Coffee and tea (8-ounce)	caffeine (mg)
Red Bull (8.2 oz)	80.0		Coffee, Drip	115-175
Jolt	71.2		Coffee, Brewed	80-135
Pepsi One	55.5		Coffee, Espresso (2 ounces)	100
Mountain Dew	55.0		Ben & Jerry's Coffee Fudge Frozen Yogurt(8oz)	85
Mountain Dew Code Red	55.0		Coffee, Instant	65-100
Diet Mountain Dew	55.0		Tea, iced	47
Kick Citrus	54.0		Tea, brewed, imported brands (avg.)	60
Mellow Yellow	52.8		Tea, brewed, U.S. brands (avg.)	40
Surge	51.0		Tea, instant	30
Tab	46.8		Tea, green	15
Diet Coke	45.6		Hot cocoa	14
Shasta Cola	44.4		Coffee, Decaf, brewed	3-4
Shasta Cherry Cola	44.4		Coffee, Decaf, instant	2-3
Shasta Diet Cola	44.4		Dark chocolate (1 oz)	20 mg
RC Cola	43.0
Diet RC	43.0
Dr. Pepper	41.0
Diet Dr. Pepper	41.0
Diet Sunkist Orange	41.0
Mr. Pibb	40.0
Sugar-Free Mr. Pibb	40.0
Red Flash	40.0
Sunkist Orange	40.0
Slim-Fast Cappuccino Delight Shake	40.0
Ruby Red	39.0
Storm	38.0
Big Red	38.0
Pepsi-Cola	37.5
Pepsi Twist	37.5
Diet Pepsi Jazz	37.5
Diet Pepsi	36.0
Wild Cherry Pepsi	38.0
Diet Wild Cherry Pepsi	36.0
Diet Pepsi Twist	36.0
Aspen	36.0
Coca-Cola Classic	34.0
Cherry Coke	34.0
Lemon Coke	34.0
Vanilla Coke	34.0
Diet Cherry Coke	34.0
Snapple Flavored Teas (Reg. or Diet)	31.5
Canada Dry Cola	30.0
A&W Creme Soda	29.0
Nestea Sweet Iced Tea	26.5
Nestea Unsweetened Iced Tea	26.0
Barq's Root Beer	23.0
A&W Diet Creme Soda	22.0
Slim-Fast Chocolate Flavors	20.0
Snapple Sweet Tea	12.0
Lipton Brisk, All Varieties	9
Canada Dry Diet Cola	1.2
Diet Rite Cola	0
Sprite	0
7-Up	0
Mug Root Beer	0
Diet Barq's Root Beer	0
Sundrop Orange	0
Minute Maid Orange	0
A&W Root Beer	0
Slice	0
Sierra Mist	0
Fresca	0

SOURCES: National Soft Drink Association, US Food and Drug Administration, Bunker and McWilliams, Pepsi, Slim-Fast.http://www.math.utah.edu/~yplee/fun/caffeine.html

Caffeine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant