Alcohol is the gateway drug, most drug addicts were drinking alcohol when they first took illegal drugs as it disinhibits. Alcohol is the most dangerous drug out there, this has been scientifically verified time and time again. It will never be banned it fills the government coffers 22% or more of the price paid is tax.
I don’t see cannabis as a major problem. I work in this field and the vast majority of people using cannabis have never touched anything else and don’t want to, however that is not to say that some strains can be harmful outside of it being smoked.
It doesn’t matter whether it’s legalised or not, people will still abuse drugs or alcohol. The legislation is irrelevant, addicts are addicts and it not being widely available legally makes absolutely no difference in fact it’s worse because the crime associated with illegal drug activity or drinking is horrendous. They will find a way to get it prison being a prime example, if they can’t get drugs in they get prescription drugs and find ingenious ways of turning them into something that gives them a huge high. For example Buscopan an IBS drug was being smoked or heated up on vapes. Google it. So even when they can’t get their heroin, coke, crack or booze they will turn to something else.