The Health Hazards of Legalizing Marijuana
BY DR. JEFFREY LIEBERMAN
MAY 3, 2024 7:00 AM EDT
Lieberman is The Constance and Stephen Lieber Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, and President of the ARETE INSTITUTE for Health, Well-Being and Human Potential. He is also the author of SHRINKS: The Untold Story of Psychiatry (Little Brown, 2015) and MALADY OF THE MIND: Schizophrenia and the Path to Prevention (Scribner-Simon and Schuster, 2023)
In a dramatic example of government yielding to public opinion the Senate has introduced legislation to legalize cannabis on the federal level. Though passage before the November election is unlikely, this long overdue legislative action seeks to update a statute stemming [pun intended] from marijuana’s demonized image as depicted in the 1936 documentary film “Reefer Madness” and better reflect public opinion and liberal social trends. Currently, under the Federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA) of 1970, cannabis is considered to have “no accepted medical use” and a high potential for abuse and physical or psychological dependence. This Federal statute contrasts with the claims of therapeutic benefits of cannabis’ biochemical constituents such as cannabidiol and THC (tetra-hydro-cannabinol) when the sole FDA indication for their use is a rare childhood (Lennox-Gasteau) seizure disorder.
While the scientific information to officially endorse cannabis products as having therapeutic benefits is lacking, a recent Pew Research Center Survey found that 88 percent of Americans felt that marijuana should be legal for medical or recreational use. This wave of popular opinion has led to marijuana’s approval in 38 states for medical use, in 24 states for recreational use and decriminalization in an additional seven states.
Who could have anticipated that in less than two decades, a naturally grown recreational intoxicant, cannabis sativa, would go from demonization (as) to mainstream, and begat a tsunami of popular demand for legalization and a gold-rush of commercialization fueled by $61 billion of investment. Some may see this as an impressive demonstration of social progress, while others consider it the result of reckless and ill-conceived policies that have created a tangled matrix of laws and conflicting incentives based on confused logic and incomplete knowledge.
Americans now have access to a recreational intoxicant that is arguably no more dangerous than alcohol or tobacco without fear of the disproportionately severe punishments previously meted out to those apprehended for possession and use. But at the same time, there are numerous inconsistencies and cross-purposes integral to the legalization and commercialization of cannabis products. The most obvious of these is the fact that Federal law considers the use, sale, and possession of cannabis illegal.
Read More: What Marijuana Reclassification Means for the United States
The consequence of the latter was not just that the exaggerated therapeutic claims were not born out by scientific research, but that it served as a “Trojan Horse” to galvanize public opinion and advance cannabis advocates ultimate goal of unfettered access. This came to fruition when the state legislatures of Colorado and Washington voted to legalize the commercial production and sale of cannabis products in 2012. This triggered a stunning demonstration of states’ rights in which a majority of states followed suit by liberalizing their cannabis laws despite Federal prohibitions.
The legislative conflict between Federal and state laws is not ideal, but not a grievous problem in large part because the conflict is tolerated and not enforced. More onerous is the conflict between legislative reform and public health that has emerged. By acceding to public opinion and false claims of salutary effects, state governments are exposing their constituents to health hazards. Compounding this misguided policy is the fact that state governments are incentivized by the prospect of increased tax revenues.
In a glaring recent example of governmental missteps, on March 17, Gov. Kathy Hochul declared New York State’s commercialized cannabis licensing and distribution system “a disaster” and announced “a top-to-bottom review of the NYS Cannabis Control Board and its system for regulating legalized cannabis products.” The main purpose of the review was to process applications faster and enable more cannabis vendors to open. Just weeks before Hochul’s executive order which was intended to give New Yorkers greater access to cannabis, the American Heart Association had issued a warning on the higher risks of cardiovascular events associated with heavy cannabis use. This was based on a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded study of nearly 435,000 American adults reported last November which found that “Daily use of cannabis –– was associated with a 25% increased likelihood of heart attack and a 42% increased likelihood of stroke when compared to non-use of the drug.”
Prior to that, the NIH issued the following warning: “Regular recreational marijuana users had psychotic disorders at a greater rate than any other recreational drug. More than cocaine, methamphetamine, amphetamine, LSD, PCP, or alcohol. The risk of negative mental health effects is increased about five times by regular use of high potency marijuana.” High potency refers to the fact that the commercialized pot sold legally today is not the same naturally grown weed smoked by constituents of the counterculture.
‘Historic decision’: Tennessee lawmakers react to DEA’s move to reclassify marijuana
Erin McCullough
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Democratic lawmakers in Tennessee are celebrating the news that marijuana will be reclassified as a less dangerous drug according to the federal schedule.
After more than 50 years, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency announced it would move to reclassify marijuana as a Schedule III drug, alongside ketamine and some anabolic steroids, following a recommendation from the federal Health and Human Services Department. Prior to the move, marijuana has been classified as a Schedule I drug alongside heroin, LSD, ecstasy, and peyote.
Schedule I drugs are considered to have no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.
Some examples of Schedule III drugs include products containing less than 90 milligrams of codeine per dosage unit (Tylenol with codeine), ketamine, anabolic steroids, and testosterone.
According to the DEA, the proposal must still be reviewed by the White House Office of Management and Budget, as well as open up a public comment period before it can publish the final rule.
Democrats in Tennessee lauded the news.
“Reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug at the federal level is a historic decision driven by common sense,” Senate Democratic Caucus Chairwoman London Lamar (D-Memphis) said. “Republican lawmakers have kept Tennessee in the dark ages on marijuana policy—wasting our tax dollars locking people up for a plant. While my ultimate goal is still legalization in Tennessee, this is incredible news for folks who would benefit right now from natural medical cannabis to treat chronic pain or illness.”
State Rep. Jesse Chism (D-Memphis) released the following statement:
“I’m greatly encouraged by the possibility of the DEA recommending that marijuana be reclassified down from a Schedule One drug. Our state has spent millions and millions of taxpayer dollars to enforce cannabis laws that are outdated and harmful to a lot of people, including many Tennesseans who are trying to get relief from painful chronic medical issues. In addition to wasting those dollars, we’ve completely ignored the financial benefits that could be coming the state’s way. I’ve filed several pieces of legislation ranging from allowing medical use to decriminalization to even trying to put a non-binding referendum on the ballot to hear from Tennessee’s voters. The main point of contention has always been its federal classification. Hopefully, with this movement we can start the ball rolling soon and begin having serious discussions here in Tennessee.”
President Biden announces moves to relax weed restrictions
Biden on Thursday announced the DOJ would reclassify cannabis to a less restrictive category on the Controlled Substances Act, the biggest change in federal drug law in decades.
By NATALIE FERTIG 05/16/2024 04:01 PM EDT
President Joe Biden is officially moving forward with plans to loosen federal marijuana restrictions.
Biden announced on Thursday his administration plans to reclassify cannabis from the most restrictive category on the federal list of illegal drugs to a moderately restrictive category.
“This is monumental,” Biden said in a video posted to X about the reclassification — which was first reported prior to the announcement by POLITICO. “Today, my administration took a major step to reclassify marijuana from a Schedule 1 drug to a Schedule 3 drug.”
It is the next step in the rescheduling process begun by Biden in October 2022, and follows a recommendation by the Department of Health and Human Services in August to reclassify marijuana.
The move would not make marijuana federally legal, but would lessen the tax burden on state-legal cannabis companies and make marijuana easier to research.
Marijuana currently is a Schedule I drug on the Controlled Substances Act. Schedule I is the most severe classification, meaning the drug is considered to have no medical use and high potential for abuse. The DOJ decision to reclassify would move cannabis to Schedule III — a category that means it’s determined to have both medical benefits and some potential for abuse.
The move would mark the biggest change in federal drug policy in more than half a century and shows how much Biden’s position has shifted on cannabis. As a senator, he wrote the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986, which raised federal penalties for possession and distribution of Schedule I substances like marijuana. In 2020, he remained the only Democratic candidate in the crowded presidential primary to not come out in favor of full federal decriminalization.
SOURCES INSIDE DEA SAY ADMINISTRATOR DID NOT SIGN OFF ON MARIJUANA RESCHEDULING DECISION
May 6, 2024
The Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Anne Milgram, did not sign off on the DEA’s decision to reschedule marijuana, according to multiple sources within the DEA.
Dr. Kevin Sabet, a former three-time White House drug policy official and now the president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, tweeted Monday afternoon: “BIG: I can now say with full confidence that the Administrator of DEA, Anne Milgram, did NOT sign the rescheduling order, breaking with five decades of precedent and established law and regulations (two confidential sources inside DEA and another outside DEA with intimate knowledge tell me).”
Sabet continued in a statement, “It’s hard to overstate how deeply political and flawed this makes the rescheduling process look. DEA Administrator Anne Milgram should be commended for standing up for science and truth, over the profit-driven pot industry. Her courage will show she was on the right side of history. It’s equally hard to overstate what a botched process the Biden Administration’s rescheduling review has been from the outset. This unprecedented action by the Attorney General reflects a process poisoned by political considerations and conducted with a pre-determined outcome.”
Milgram’s decision not to sign off on the decision to reschedule marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III breaks from decades of precedent. While the move shows the decision was contentious within the administration, the lack of Milgram’s signature is not expected to change the DEA’s decision to reschedule marijuana.
The NFL’s Condemnation Of Harrison Butker Exemplifies The Left’s Anti-Christian Bigotry
MAY 16, 2024
In corporate America today, there’s a permission structure in place to attack, defame, and destroy anyone who dares to be publicly Christian.
It didn’t take long for the NFL to come out and condemn recent remarks from Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker, saying his views, given during a commencement speech at Benedictine College over the weekend, “are not those of the NFL as an organization. The NFL is steadfast in our commitment to inclusion, which only makes our league stronger.”
What horrible, non-inclusive things did the 28-year-old Butker say? He committed the crime of giving public witness to his faith, espousing views every faithful Catholic holds — along with a great many non-Catholic Christians.
“Things like abortion, IVF, surrogacy, euthanasia as well as a growing support for degenerate cultural values and media all stem from the pervasiveness of disorder,” he said. Butker also heaped heartfelt praise on his wife, Isabelle, and told female graduates that whatever career success they might achieve, their most important title will be “homemaker.”
“Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world,” he said, eliciting spontaneous cheers from his audience.
This was too much for the NFL — an organization that, as my Federalist colleague Sean Davis noted on X, “was quicker to condemn Butker for being a Christian than it was to condemn Ray Rice for caving in his fiancée’s head on camera and then dragging her lifeless body through the hall.”
The NFL of course has a long and rich tradition of defending degenerate and even criminal behavior by prominent players, like when Rice was arrested and charged with double homicide in 2000 after a Super Bowl XXXIV party in Atlanta. Good thing Rice didn’t come out and say he was pro-life.
The NFL’s rank hypocrisy is just one example of how the reaction to Butker’s speech confirms that orthodox Christians are the one group in America today that it’s okay to hate. Faithful Catholics of course come in for special scorn. The geniuses over at “The View” happily indulged in some rank anti-Catholic bigotry following Butker’s remarks, essentially accusing him of betraying true Christianity and “not following Jesus.”
A Change.org petition circulated this week calling on the Kansas City Chiefs to dismiss Butker. USA Today ran a column declaring that Butker has “extremist, Neanderthalic” views, and that he represents an “extremist” and “hateful” worldview that wants to drag women back to the bad old days.
None of this should surprise us by now. The post-Christian left has erected a neopagan religion of its own, a kind of inversion of Christianity that consists of an unstable admixture of abortion, sexual liberation, gender ideology, and identity politics. If you speak against any of those things, you have committed blasphemy and must be targeted and destroyed.
Because faithful Catholics categorically reject all these things, as Butker articulated in his speech, anti-Catholic bigotry isn’t just accepted and encouraged in mainstream institutions, it’s a kind of badge of honor. The more you hate on and denigrate and defame the most faithful Catholics, the more you’re thought to be an upstanding, moral person. This way of thinking is ingrained in corporate America and across all our mainstream institutions. Anti-Christian, and especially anti-Catholic, bigotry is the last acceptable prejudice in America
