Last Updated on July 1, 2018 by Keisha Mclean-Green

Government and healthcare – for better and for worse, the two have been joined. Their matrimony hasn’t been all that holy, but boy has it been holey. Some pretty big gaps have appeared in the areas of healthcare access and affordability, and the current political track of a repeal and replace action regarding the Affordable Care Act has the nation on edge with opinions being wielded, sometime viciously. And somewhere in this political hurricane of 2017 entered marijuana.

If you’ve followed the news, you likely saw the Trump administration’s spokesman, Sean Spicer, link recreational marijuana to the opioid crisis. If so, then you probably saw the media backlash that ensued. And by media, we mean a flurry of articles found in reputable newspapers, journals, and blogs written (and researched) by industry experts. And by industry experts, we mean people who work in mental health, healthcare, and the substance abuse recovery industry. These aren’t paparazzi style reporters out for a quick buck through fake news. They’re not producing tabloid trash; they’re publishing carefully researched and written articles to debunk the opinions that are being taken as facts. If their work isn’t flat out debunking, then it’s saying, “Hey, think about this before drawing your conclusion.”

We all have critical thinking skills. The question is, are we using them?

Sean Spicer Lands in Extraordinarily Hot Frying Pan over Marijuana

In reference to medical marijuana, Spicer said, “There’s a big difference between that [medical marijuana] and recreational marijuana. I think that when you see the opioid addiction crisis blossoming in so many states around this country, the last thing you should be doing is encouraging people. There is still a federal law we need to abide by in terms of when it comes to recreational marijuana.”

It’s this statement that drew backlash from journalists and substance abuse professionals alike. Spicer went on to identify marijuana as a gateway drug, a so-called “fact” that has been disproven time and time again by more than on Florida marijuana doctor. While a vast array of studies and statistical analysis do record marijuana as a drug used by addicts before trying harder, more dangerous addictive substances, there are far more people who use alcohol first. In fact, alcohol is the most addictive and readily available substance available in the United States; it is the true gateway drug.

Spicer’s verbal actions have signaled a potentially disturbing stance on the U.S. war on drugs. As states legalize the recreational use of marijuana, more and more people buy weed edibles online, sales of which go widely unmonitored in comparison to the drug’s medical uses, the impact on exposure, use, and the consequences of both to the general population grows.

At the same time, the Trump administration has taken steps to renew private prison contracts. The business of incarceration could benefit greatly as the federal level view of marijuana darkens. Meanwhile, the administration’s push for a national healthcare program that decreases the number of insurance carrying Americans – particularly the threat to low-income individuals and families losing coverage due to defunded programs and rising medical insurance premiums – could dramatically and negatively impact the people who need addiction treatment. It could send them to prison, destroy lives, and never address their illness.