The US government is putting marijuana on the schedule
Image: Evan Vucci
Yesterday, President Trump officially signed an executive order that will relax federal restrictions on marijuana and instruct agencies to reclassify it as a less dangerous drug.
Somewhere, Willie Nelson and Snoop Dogg are sharing a celebratory joint.
How we(ed) got here
Marijuana is currently classified as a Schedule I substance, alongside other drugs considered to have a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical use (like heroin, LSD, and ecstasy). But in 2022, the US government began considering whether to reclassify marijuana as a Schedule III substance instead.
As part of that review, FDA researchers investigated the existing scientific and medical evidence regarding marijuana, and found three main data points to support the drug’s reclassification:
- Marijuana doesn’t seem to elicit serious outcomes compared to other Schedule I drugs, even in products with high levels of THC (the main psychoactive ingredient).
- “Some credible level of scientific support” exists for using marijuana as a therapeutic treatment.
- Marijuana withdrawal is less serious than other hard drugs or alcohol, and more similar to that of tobacco.
The potential impact
While reclassifying marijuana to Schedule III wouldn’t affect the drug’s illegal status on a federal level, doing so would open up a wide range of new opportunities for businesses across America.
- Marijuana companies could write off normal business expenses, saving the industry hundreds of millions of dollars per year.
- The marijuana industry could finally have access to banking services and institutional investment, instead of being banned due to Schedule I status.
- US scientists could study the effects of marijuana on human patients, expanding on current—but incomplete—research that indicates risks like anxiety and dependence alongside some potential health benefits.
Zoom out: Nearly two-thirds of US adults (64%) currently believe using cannabis should be legal, down slightly from a record-high 70% in 2023, per a Gallup poll published last month.
Nationwide, marijuana has been approved for recreational use in 24 states plus Washington, D.C., while another 23 states allow marijuana use for certain medical purposes, per the CDC.
📊 Flash poll: In your opinion, should using cannabis be legal or not?
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Sprinkles from the Left
- Some commentators argue that Trump’s approach to reschedule marijuana will do little to fix America’s overall approach to the drug, and that it would be better to legalize pot federally and let states decide if they want to restrict it any further.
- Others contend that just like how the legalization of hemp in 2018 led to the creation of new psychoactive compounds, the rescheduling of marijuana will grossly threaten public health and safety as Wall Street-backed companies exploit every legal loophole.
- “Legalize it” –WaPo Editorial Board
- “Rescheduling Marijuana Would Be a Huge Threat to Public Health” –Kevin Sabet, Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions
- “Prohibition not the answer to concerns about adult use cannabis” –The Republican Editorial Board
Sprinkles from the Right
- Some commentators argue that potential economic booms to marijuana businesses shouldn’t be a determining factor when it comes to the drug’s classification, and that America doesn’t need any more easily accessible substances that are bad for its citizens.
- Others contend that there is no conservative case for marijuana legalization, with even the libertarian case suffers from a serious flaw, and that using alcohol to excuse marijuana use or legalization is simply an exercise in lazy whataboutism.
- “Reclassifying marijuana will not make America great again” –Christopher Tremoglie, Washington Examiner
- “Marijuana is losing favor because it is a truly harmful substance” –Matt Poling, The Hill
- “Does MAHA Stand for ‘Make America High Again’?” –Allysia Finley, WSJ
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