Twitter rips GOP lawmaker for reviving marijuana ‘gateway drug’ trope

For generations, researchers have been debunking the myth that marijuana is a “gateway drug” — stressing that most people who use marijuana will not go on to use heroin, cocaine, PCP or crystal meth. But when members of the U.S. House of Representatives debated the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act or MORE Act — which would decriminalize marijuana at the federal level — Rep. Buddy Carter of Georgia resorted to the tired “gateway drug” claim.

The GOP congressman, speaking on the House floor, insisted, “As you know, I’m a pharmacist. I know addiction. I know and I’ve studied addiction. I can tell you, marijuana is nothing more than a gateway drug.”

Despite Carter’s forceful protests, the MORE Act — which was sponsored by Democratic House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler and others — passed 220-204. But it remains to been seen how it will fare in the U.S. Senate. In order for the MORE Act to actually become law, it will need to also be approved in the Senate and then, signed into law by President Joe Biden.

Carter’s “gateway drug” comments are drawing a great deal of ridicule on social media. Dr. Jonathan N. Stea, a clinical psychologist, tweeted:

Here are some of the other comments from Twitter users: