U.S. Attorney Mike Stuart of West Virginia, a Trump appointee who took office in January, didn’t spend much time in his new position before stirring up some controversy.
Last week, Stuart tweeted about the “gateway theory,” a continuously debunked theory that marijuana leads to the use of harder, dangerous drugs. In the same tweet, Stuart promised to “AGGRESSIVELY” enforce federal marijuana laws.
While U.S. Attorney Stuart, of course, gets to have his own opinions regarding cannabis, he doesn’t get to have his own facts. His tweet collides head-on with much of what scientists have learned about the herb.
“Scientists long ago abandoned the idea that marijuana causes users to try other drugs,” TIME reports. “Since then, numerous other studies have failed to support the gateway idea.”
U.S. Attorney Mike Stuart of West Virginia, a Trump appointee who took office in January, didn’t spend much time in his new position before stirring up some controversy.
Last week, Stuart tweeted about the “gateway theory,” a continuously debunked theory that marijuana leads to the use of harder, dangerous drugs. In the same tweet, Stuart promised to “AGGRESSIVELY” enforce federal marijuana laws.
While U.S. Attorney Stuart, of course, gets to have his own opinions regarding cannabis, he doesn’t get to have his own facts. His tweet collides head-on with much of what scientists have learned about the herb.
“Scientists long ago abandoned the idea that marijuana causes users to try other drugs,” TIME reports. “Since then, numerous other studies have failed to support the gateway idea.”
Recently, attempts by anti-cannabis folks to bring the moribund gateway theory back to life have surfaced. U.S. Attorney Stuart’s tweet can properly be seen as part of that unfortunate trend.
Ironically, substance abuse researchers are finding that cannabis, in many cases, holds promise for helping addicts recover. A study, recently released by the RAND Corporation, found that people living in states with easy access to marijuana are less likely to overdose from opioids.
The results affirm the promise of cannabis as a potential solution for the opioid crisis, which is now considered the largest drug epidemic in American history. According to the Centers for Disease Control, as of 2016, West Virginia had the highest drug overdose rate in the U.S.
credit:420intel.com
![West Virginia [WV] Sales and Use, Miscellaneous Taxes Medical Marijuana Tax Imposed](https://thelaughinggrass.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/West-Virginia-WV-Sales-and-Use-Miscellaneous-Taxes-Medical-Marijuana-Tax-Imposed-1024x576.jpg)
![West Virginia [WV] Legislature Approves Medical Marijuana Bill](https://thelaughinggrass.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/West-Virginia-WV-Legislature-Approves-Medical-Marijuana-Bill.png)
