President Donald Trump’s proposal to relax the federal classification of marijuana is already running into opposition within his own party.
Last week, reporting indicated that Trump is mulling an executive order directing drug enforcement officials to downgrade marijuana from Schedule I, the highest category reserved for dangerous, addictive substances with no medical use, to Schedule III, a less restrictive designation that puts it on the same level as anabolic steroids and some milder prescription painkillers.
It’s a policy change former President Joe Biden was also considering before he left office, and which would pave the way under federal law for dispensaries legally licensed by states to operate with more protection, like business tax breaks.
But some Senate Republicans are already raising an outcry. A letter authored by Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC) and signed by 22 senators urged Trump to abandon the idea.
“Rescheduling marijuana to a Schedule III drug will undermine your strong efforts to Make America Great Again and to usher in America’s next economic Golden Age,” said the letter. “The only winners from rescheduling will be bad actors such as Communist China, while Americans will be left paying the bill.”
“Marijuana continues to fit the definition of a Schedule I drug due to its high potential for abuse and its lack of an FDA-approved use,” said the letter. “The evidence shows that marijuana is harmful to its users, especially to young people and women who are pregnant and nursing. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, studies show that marijuana is linked to ‘depression, anxiety, suicide planning, and psychotic episodes.’ Tragically, mass shootings have a link to marijuana use, including school shootings; in fact, the shooter who attacked a Catholic school in Minneapolis blamed his actions on ‘gender and weed’ and wrote, ‘I wish I never tried experimenting with either.’”
Further, the letter warned, “We cannot reindustrialize America if we encourage marijuana use. America’s workplace and America’s roads are endangered by marijuana use” — and the tax breaks dispensaries would claim under the regulatory change would allow them to “increase their marketing and to expand their businesses into additional states.”
“In light of the documented dangers of marijuana, facilitating the growth of the marijuana industry is at odds with growing our economy and encouraging healthy lifestyles for Americans,” the letter concluded. “We urge you to continue your strong leadership of our country and our economy, and to turn away from marijuana rescheduling.”
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