DEA CANNABIS RESCHEDULING

PUBLIC COMMENT VIEWER

Here is a random public comment on the rescheduling of cannabis to Schedule III from Michael King.
Massachusetts legalized recreational marijuana in 2016, but gave municipalities the option to decide whether to host pot shops. MFI has worked in numerous localities to help ban these shops, achieving some major successes even in areas that voted to legalize marijuana in 2016. https://mafamily.org/2019/11/12/newburyport-votes-to-ban-retail-marijuana/ Also, see https://mafamily.org/2017/12/18/acton-bans-pot-shops/ Over 100 cities and towns in Massachusetts have now enacted outright bans, with many more enacting restrictive zoning ordinances. https://masscannabiscontrol.com/municipal-zoning-tracker/ I am writing to register my opposition to the recommendation to move marijuana from Schedule 1 to Schedule 3 of the Controlled Substances Act. Rescheduling marijuana would allow the marijuana industry to begin deducting normal business expenses, including advertising and marketing expenses. This would make the industry enormously profitable and incentivize them to spend even more on advertising and marketing. With this, we can expect marijuana sales to grow exponentially, and harms associated with marijuana use to rise in tandem. Big Tobacco taught us all too well the deleterious impact of advertising on youth: the more teens are exposed to tobacco advertising, the more likely they are to start smoking. The same will be true with marijuana. The marijuana industry will undoubtedly take a page out of Big Tobacco’s marketing playbook, making marijuana use look glamorous and benign with celebrity endorsements, candy flavoring (already seen in marijuana edibles), product placement in movies, and more. Perhaps most alarming: even without the expected deluge of ads and slick marketing, marijuana use is at an all-time high. Teen use of marijuana is at 30- year high, with more teens reporting smoking marijuana than tobacco. Among young adults 19 to 30, 26% used in the past month compared to 17% in 2011, and 11% were daily users, up from 6% in 2011. The recommendation from HHS failed to take into account actual/relative potential for abuse or harms associated with use. Contrary to popular narrative, marijuana can be addictive; In fact, as many as 1 in 3 past year marijuana users met the clinical criteria for Cannabis Use Disorder. People who self-medicate with marijuana are not exempt from becoming addicted to it. According to research at Massachusetts General Hospital, “using cannabis products to treat pain, anxiety and depression failed to improve these symptoms while doubling the risk of developing the addictive symptoms of cannabis use disorder.” With the exception of one study of medical marijuana patients in Maryland, the review from HHS failed to acknowledge or consider the link between marijuana and psychosis. This is especially concerning in light of the rising potency of marijuana. Daily users of marijuana over 10% THC are nearly five times more likely to develop a psychotic disorder than non-users. A 2023 study in Denmark determined that 30 percent of cases of schizophrenia among 21–30-year-old males could have been averted if cannabis use disorder had been prevented. A 2022 study found that hospital discharges for marijuana-associated psychosis were higher in states with legal marijuana, another precursor if those who push full-scale commercialization have their way. Marijuana use is especially concerning in young people, a factor HHS failed to adequately address. The National Center for Education Statistics said, “adolescent marijuana use has been associated with lower academic performance and a higher risk of dropping out of high school.” Colorado, the first state to legalize recreational marijuana, warns, “Youth who use marijuana regularly are more likely to have a hard time learning, problems remembering, and lower math and reading scores. These effects can last weeks after the last time they used marijuana.” Recognizing that much remains unknown about marijuana, NIDA noted, “researchers are still studying how long marijuana’s effects last and whether some changes may be permanent.” Finally, while some states recognize “medical marijuana” there is, in fact, no currently accepted medical use. Unlike other drugs in Schedule III, marijuana is not FDA approved to treat or cure any disease and it is not available for prescription in any state. In 2023, the American Medical Association adopted a position statement that “encourages hospitals and health systems to: (a) not recommend patient use of non-FDA approved cannabis or cannabis-derived products within healthcare facilities until such time as federal laws or regulations permit its use; and (b) educate medical staffs on cannabis use, effects and cannabis withdrawal syndrome.” I encourage you to follow the science and public health evidence on this issue and keep marijuana in Schedule I.
Over 42,000 public comments were submitted. Public commenters, thank you for your courage!