Cannabis As An Exit — Not Gateway — Drug

Anti-drug campaigns have taught us the danger in illicit drugs. However, reality has taught us the danger in prohibition.

This article, written by Dr Amanda Reiman of UC Berkeley, makes the case that illegal substances like cannabis can actually be an exit, rather than gateway, drug. In other words, using cannabis may help keep individuals from abusing harder, more serious drugs — like prescription opiates.

The author illustrates that some legal substances have proven more harmful to people than the more therapeutic illegal substances. That’s in part due to the fact that “Illegal drugs are not illegal because they are dangerous. Illegal drugs are illegal because, historically, immigrant populations used them,” reports Reiman.

This, coupled with a disconnect between the legality of a substances and the danger it imposes, have resulted in the over-prescription of pharmaceuticals. The opiate epidemic is becoming the number one reason for accidental deaths in America, surpassing car accidents.

As a social worker, Reiman has watched “abstinence only” models fail. She has also watched cannabis effectively treat the symptoms of withdrawal and addiction. For these reasons and more, she makes the case for cannabis as a treatment for substance dependency, and ultimately, as an exit from addiction into a better life.