Dr. Oz: Medical Pot Could Be 'Exit Drug' to Opioid Crisis

Dr. Mehmet Oz blasted the "hypocrisy around medical marijuana," saying it could be "the exit drug" — not a gateway drug — to get the country out of the opioid crisis.

Dr. Oz made the comments Tuesday on Fox News' "Fox and Friends" program at the end of an interview touting his upcoming interview with Ivanka Trump.

"The real story is the hypocrisy around medical marijuana," Dr. Oz said on the show. "Medical marijuana, people think it's a gateway drug to narcotics, it may be the exit drug to get us out of the narcotic epidemic, but we're not allowed to study it, because it's a Schedule I drug, and I personally believe it could help."

The other Schedule I drugs: Methaqualone, heroin, LSD, ecstasy and peyote, all classified by the Drug Enforcement Administration as "high potential for abuse" and "no accepted medical use."

Meanwhile, the various narcotic killers in the U.S. containing hydrocodone — along with cocaine — are Schedule II drugs.

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