US drug control agency will move to reclassify marijuana

There you have it, the administrator themselves saying they believe in myths about cannabis: It’s a gateway drug; while simultaneously ignoring that the drug killing people, fent has a perfectly causal gateway drug in vicodin/percs

> Jack Riley, a former deputy administrator of the DEA, said he had concerns about the proposed change because he thinks marijuana remains a possible “gateway drug,” one that may lead to the use of other drugs.

>“But in terms of us getting clear to use our resources to combat other major drugs, that’s a positive,” Riley said, noting that fentanyl alone accounts for more than 100,000 deaths in the U.S. a year.

I think these 'gateway drug' believers will be pleasantly surprised. One reason it's a gateway drug is because of a line of thought like this:

1) Govt says cannabis is the most dangerous drug.

2) I try cannabis, nothing bad happens.

3) So when the govt says drugs are dangerous, they are incorrect? I guess I can't use their rating system and will have to base it on my own experiences.

There is a trust penalty for over-classifying drugs.

And then of course picking up your cannabis from the popular pharmacy chain means you never had a reason to introduce yourself to a dealer, who may stock cannabis alongside other drugs.

Cannabis isn't intrinsically a gateway drug. All the gateway-ness flows from the social structure surrounding its misclassification.

That or the other 'gateway' pathway:

1) Govt says cannabis is the most dangerous drug.

2) I find someone who will sell me illegal thing.

3) I try cannabis, nothing bad happens.

4) Vendor has other items for sale.