DRUGSThe Evidence Is Overwhelming: Cannabis Is an Exit Drug for Major Addictions, Not a Gateway to New OnesPeople dependent on cocaine, opioids and other prescription drugs could ease out of their addictions with cannabis.
It is time for politicians to put to rest the myth that cannabis is a gateway to the use of other controlled substances — a theory that is neither supported by modern science or empirical data. O
ver 60 percent of American adults acknowledge having tried cannabis, but the overwhelming majority of these individuals never go on to try another illicit substance. Further, nothing in marijuana’s chemical composition alters the brain in a manner that makes users more susceptible to experimenting with other drugs.
That’s why both the esteemed Institute of Medicine and the Rand Corporation’s Drug Policy Research Center conclude that “[M]arijuana has no causal influence over hard drug initiation.”
READ THE FULL STORY BELOW