Kerby Anderson

The Trump administration is sending confusing messages concerning federal drug policy. Last month, President Trump signed an executive order that declared fentanyl was “a weapon of mass destruction.” Although the phraseology may be extreme and misleading, the intent is appropriate. The CDC estimates that at least 300,000 Americans have died due to fentanyl and other related synthetic opioids

Three days later, President Trump signed another executive order that reclassified marijuana from a Schedule 1 drug to a Schedule III drug. This action significantly loosened federal regulations and reduced criminal penalties.

Tony Perkins (Family Research Council) called the administration’s drug policy incoherent. “The federal government is waging a shooting war against drug traffickers in the Caribbean while simultaneously decriminalizing marijuana and normalizing its use at home.”

It’s worth mentioning that nearly two dozen members of Congress urged the president to not reclassify marijuana. Several of the signatories were physicians, who understand the issue of drug use. It’s also worth mentioning that the THC concentration in marijuana today is nearly five times more potent than in previous decades.

In previous commentaries, I have mentioned the numerous studies that found significant abnormalities in important brain structures in casual users. These abnormalities in the working memory of your brain affect judgments, decisions, and planning. Numerous studies found significant and consistent association between consumption of marijuana and the later development of schizophrenia.

This is the interesting irony. At a time when states (and now the federal government) are willing to declassify marijuana as a harmful and addictive drug, we are discovering major concerns with marijuana use.