Look Out! Marijuana is a 'Getaway' Drug!

So you think you live in a land of Cannabis ignorance and out-dated, archaic attitudes and beliefs about the dreaded weed? You think your State has a 1930's attitude toward weed?

Try living in Hyderabad, India. The dreaded weed is still a 'Getaway'(sic) drug. Youth are the only people who smoke pot, and the entertainment industry and the social elite would *never* touch drugs...
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Some quotes from this article:

In an alarming finding by the state police, a large number of teenagers living in Andhra Pradesh are hooked to getaway drugs like cannabis, alcohol and tobacco. Getaway drugs are those that induce mild intoxication and most users end up migrating to powerful and addictive drugs like cocaine and heroin. 

...the state is in the grip of a big explosion of drug abuse as the number of teenagers addicted to the getaway drugs is almost 60 per cent. This is almost double the number in states like Uttar Pradesh and Haryana where only 35 per cent of the teens are said to be hooked on such drugs...

Because of expansion of the job market due to software boom and other avenues, youth in the cities of Andhra Pradesh have become economically independent. This is the main reason for the sudden spurt in the use of getaway drugs

...Those associated with Tollywood have been maintaining that the recent bust in which film star Ravi Teja's two brothers were caught buying cocaine from a Nigerian peddlar is a rare incident and that drug abuse is minimal in the Telugu film world and the high society in Hyderabad. This police report, however, has established that the menace is far more widespread among the teens of Andhra Pradesh as compared to their counterparts in other states.

Read more:Alarming rise in drug abuse among youth, say police - Hyderabad - City - The Times of India