Canadian Scientists: Marijuana Is an Exit, Not a Gateway Drug

Evgeny Bryun, the chief freelance psychiatrist-narcologist of the Russian Ministry of Health, believes that cannabis is a gateway drug, claiming that marijuana users eventually move on to opioids. However, Canadian scientists disagree with this view and instead call marijuana an exit drug.

Drug Users Turn to Cannabis for Medical Purposes

Researchers at the University of British Columbia conducted a study involving 56 people who abused alcohol, fentanyl, heroin, or methamphetamine. The average age of the participants was 21. The researchers interviewed the volunteers and found that most of them smoked marijuana daily. These young people used the plant for medical, not recreational, purposes. They took cannabinoids to reduce their dosage or quit more harmful psychoactive substances, as well as to alleviate the consequences of drug abuse. Specifically, cannabis was used to treat depression, anxiety disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and chronic pain.

A 21-year-old methamphetamine user said he smoked marijuana to cope with stimulant-induced hyperactivity and to relieve back pain caused by scoliosis. For 19-year-old Jeremiah, marijuana became a way to address psychological issues: “For three months, I slept on the beach. I smoked a lot of weed, and I wasn’t sad. The place I lived in was still depressing, but marijuana helped me move on.”

According to the volunteers, cannabinoids are more effective and safer than psychopharmaceuticals typically used in addiction treatment. In particular, they referred to opioid receptor agonists, which have a sedative effect and can cause psychosis. Many participants noted that marijuana served as a motivator to achieve their goals. For example, some study participants found jobs after switching from opioids and stimulants to cannabis.

Marijuana vs. the Opioid Crisis

Experts from the University of Pennsylvania in the United States studied the effects of medical cannabis legalization in 13 regions of the country. They found that after the ban on medical marijuana was lifted, the number of deaths from opioid overdoses dropped by an average of 25%. In 60% of cases, the victims were people who took prescription painkillers. After the launch of medical cannabis programs, many patients switched to cannabis or reduced their opioid dosage, leading to a decrease in mortality rates.

From 2011 to 2015, the number of Americans who used marijuana to relieve chronic pain increased from 33,189 to 72,114 (from 2.4% to 3.9% of all hospitalized patients). Most often, marijuana was used to manage pain caused by injuries and surgical procedures. Patients preferred cannabis because, unlike opioids, the plant does not cause serious side effects.