{"id":3386,"date":"2019-12-04T07:21:09","date_gmt":"2019-12-04T15:21:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dispensaries.com\/blog\/?p=3386"},"modified":"2019-12-09T08:30:35","modified_gmt":"2019-12-09T16:30:35","slug":"joe-biden-revives-marijuana-a-gateway-drug-then-ends-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dispensaries.com\/blog\/joe-biden-revives-marijuana-a-gateway-drug-then-ends-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Marijuana A Gateway Drug? Joe Biden Revives Old Debate, Then Ends It"},"content":{"rendered":"

Joe Biden, the former vice president running for president, briefly reignited an old debate about whether marijuana is a gateway drug during a recent campaign stop. Biden said he continues to oppose recreational marijuana legalization because not enough research has been done on cannabis.<\/p>\n

Of course, not a lot of research has been done in the United States because cannabis remains illegal at the federal level. And the research marijuana provided by the federal government is so far below acceptable standards that researchers are suing the government on the issue.<\/p>\n

However, Biden ended up changing his mind less than a week later in an interview,<\/a> saying \u201cI don’t think it is a gateway drug. There’s no evidence I’ve seen that suggests that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Biden\u2019s flip-flop provides an example of how politicians often shift positions on complicated issues in a presidential campaign. But for everyone else, it\u2019s understandable if it left them confused.<\/p>\n

Biden Differs From His Opponents On Marijuana<\/h2>\n

Biden is the only Democrat running for the presidential nomination who does not support recreational marijuana legalization. But his comment about marijuana being a gateway drug went beyond that stance.<\/p>\n

During a campaign stop in Las Vegas, Biden said<\/a>: \u201cThe truth of the matter is, there\u2019s not nearly been enough evidence that has been acquired as to whether or not it is a gateway drug. It\u2019s a debate, and I want a lot more before I legalize it nationally. I want to make sure we know a lot more about the science behind it.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s important to note that Biden added: \u201cBut no one should go to jail for it, period.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other candidates in the Democratic primary took him to task<\/a> for his comments. For example, Sen. Bernie Sanders tweeted that the country \u201cmust legalize now.\u201d Sen. Kamala Harris, who recently ended her campaign, tweeted: \u201cLet\u2019s be clear: marijuana isn\u2019t a gateway drug and should be legalized.\u201d\u00a0 Andrew Yang took the long view, saying he believes Biden will change his mind on the issue \u201cif he sees the same evidence that I have.\u201d<\/p>\n

That proved true, as Biden reversed his position very quickly.<\/p>\n

Is Further Research Needed?<\/h2>\n

Biden originally said it is \u201cnot irrational\u201d for him to want more scientific research into marijuana. In that regard, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention agree with him, saying that more research is needed to determine if marijuana is a gateway drug.<\/p>\n

However, the CDC\u2019s webpage on the issue starts<\/a> with this declarative statement: \u201cThe majority of people who use marijuana do not go on to use other, \u201charder\u201d substances.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another way experts have started to look at marijuana is that its potential as a gateway drug is tied to the person involved. Some people may simply be more susceptible to drug use than others. As noted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, a person\u2019s social environment and other \u201cbiological mechanisms\u201d can determine a person\u2019s risk for using \u201charder\u201d drugs.<\/p>\n

The institute writes <\/a>that \u201can alternative to the gateway-drug hypothesis\u201d is that those who are vulnerable to drug-taking are \u201csimply more likely to start with readily available substances such as marijuana, tobacco, or alcohol.\u201d After that, social interactions with others who use drugs may increase their chances of trying other drugs.<\/p>\n

The institute also said further research<\/a> is needed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Joe Biden caused confusion when discussing marijuana legalization & marijuana being a gateway drug. Here’s what happened & how his opponents responded.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":3388,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18],"tags":[821,820,652,144],"yoast_head":"\nMarijuana A Gateway Drug? Joe Biden Revives Old Debate, Then Ends It<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Joe Biden caused confusion when discussing marijuana legalization & marijuana being a gateway drug. 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