Mitch Earleywine

In the following viewpoint Mitch Earleywine contends that most people who try marijuana never use hard drugs. Moreover, evidence shows that some who use hard drugs such as heroin did not use marijuana first, which means marijuana could not have caused them to use these drugs, he concludes. Lying to America’s youth about marijuana leads them to question other information about the dangers of drugs and risks to their health and well being, he argues, even if that information is true. Earleywine, a professor of psychology at the University of Southern California, is author of Understanding Marijuana.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. According to Earleywine, how many Americans who try marijuana never touch heroin?
2. According to the author, what determines the first drug users will select?
3. What substances do...