But within the context of our culture, which, both governmentally and culturally puts marijuana in the same class as harmful drugs such as heroin and meth, white Americans are most likely to use other drugs.

Heroin is a problem in white suburbia now.

The reason isn't because marijuana is illegal or a gateway. The reason is that white suburban teens were using oxycontin, a legal drug, that became the focus of the DEA in the recent past. Because the DEA has made Oxycontin more difficult to obtain, whether legally or illegally, white kids are using much cheaper heroin instead.