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It is true, however, that people who use marijuana are more likely to try heroin (and other drugs) than people who never try marijuana, especially if they use marijuana at an early age. The question is what explains that increased likelihood. Bennett’s explanation sounds very much like Anslinger’s:
In a 2010 RAND working paper, the social psychologist Robert MacCoun noted that a major argument for the Dutch government’s policy of tolerating marijuana sales was that it would weaken the link between cannabis and other drugs. He found “some evidence” that cannabis consumers became less likely to use cocaine and amphetamines after they could buy marijuana in “coffee shops.”
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacobsul...ry-anslingers/
In a 2010 RAND working paper, the social psychologist Robert MacCoun noted that a major argument for the Dutch government’s policy of tolerating marijuana sales was that it would weaken the link between cannabis and other drugs. He found “some evidence” that cannabis consumers became less likely to use cocaine and amphetamines after they could buy marijuana in “coffee shops.”
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacobsul...ry-anslingers/