Federal Government Moves to Reschedule Marijuana
The federal government took a major step last week toward loosening restrictions on marijuana.
Across the U.S., many states have legalized marijuana either for “medical” or “recreational” use, and the Trump Administration has signaled that it wants to change U.S. policy on marijuana. But a growing body of evidence shows marijuana is actually much more dangerous that many people realize and needs to be restricted.
On April 23, the Justice Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced they are placing FDA-approved marijuana products as well as marijuana products legalized under state “medical” marijuana programs on Schedule III of the federal Controlled Substances Act.
Schedule III drugs are considered to have accepted medical uses and a lower potential for abuse than Schedule I or II substances. The announcement also kicks off an expedited hearing process, beginning June 29, to consider moving all marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III under federal law.
Rescheduling marijuana sends the wrong message.
For years, marijuana advocates have used the push for “medical” marijuana as a stepping stone toward full legalization. Rescheduling marijuana may not legalize marijuana outright, but it will create more confusion about marijuana’s legal status and make it much easier for people to grow, sell, and use marijuana.
THC — the main psychoactive substance in marijuana — has been tied again and again to everything from heart disease and cancer to stroke, mental illness, and birth defects. In fact, researchers now say marijuana use doubles a person’s risk of death from heart disease.
Yale reports roughly 30% of current cannabis users now meet the criteria for addiction, and researchers writing in JAMA found nearly one in three “medical” marijuana users may suffer from cannabis use disorder.
A major study by The Lancet recently found marijuana fails to effectively treat anxiety, depression, or PTSD. The findings raise serious concerns, because PTSD is the most common qualifying condition listed among “medical” marijuana users in Arkansas.
All of this underscores that marijuana is dangerous.
Legalization has not made marijuana safer — in fact, it has made things worse.
States like California and Colorado legalized marijuana with promises of regulation, oversight, and tax revenue.
Instead, legalization has emboldened drug cartels and spread illegal marijuana on the black market. California alone has seized more than $1.2 billion in illegal cannabis since 2022.
And law enforcement has alleged that 40% of America’s illicit marijuana has come from legal grow sites in Oklahoma.
All of this matters for Arkansas.
Major drug trafficking corridors pass through our state. Arkansas State Police routinely intercept marijuana from other states that appears to be intended for the black market. As Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said recently, “Arkansas sits at the heart of major drug-trafficking corridors.” That’s a serious problem, and softening our federal policies on marijuana will only make that problem worse.
As we have said time and again: Marijuana may be many things, but “harmless” simply is not one of them.
Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.
