{"id":20525,"date":"2025-12-27T09:35:28","date_gmt":"2025-12-27T08:35:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/?p=20525"},"modified":"2026-02-17T20:17:41","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T19:17:41","slug":"marijuana-rescheduling-is-now-real","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/2025\/12\/marijuana-rescheduling-is-now-real\/","title":{"rendered":"Marijuana Rescheduling Is Now Real"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"blog-entry--header\">\n<div class=\"blog-entry--header-second\">\n<header class=\"header\">\n<div id=\"block-mainnavbarblock\" class=\"block\">\n<div class=\"main-nav-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"container\">\n<nav class=\"main-nav\" role=\"navigation\">\n<div class=\"main-nav--toggle main-nav--toggle--search\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: 24pt;\">psychology today<\/span><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<\/nav>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"outer-layout-container\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">by\u00a0<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>Mark S. Gold M.D. &#8211;\u00a0Addiction Outlook &#8211;\u00a0Posted\u00a0<span class=\"blog_entry--date\">December 26, 2025<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"layout-container--grid layout-container--has-right-rail retain-ltr-area-order\">\n<div class=\"layout-content-main\">\n<div id=\"block-pt-content\" class=\"block\">\n<article data-history-node-id=\"5043555\">\n<div class=\"blog-entry--header\">\n<div class=\"blog-entry--header-first\">\n<div class=\"profile-card d-flex\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"blog-entry__subtitle--full\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">The change was made despite lack of evidence of medicinal benefits.<\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"blog-entry__date--full fine-print\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;\">Key points<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"blog-entry--body\">\n<div class=\"blog-entry--body-second\">\n<div class=\"blog_entry__key-points\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<ul class=\"blog_entry__key-points-item-list\">\n<li class=\"blog_entry__key-points-item\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">President Trump directed federal agencies to expedite the process of reclassifying cannabis to Schedule III.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"blog_entry__key-points-item\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Now what? Many actions are needed, including new research and protection of adolescents.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"blog_entry__key-points-item\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Placebo-controlled, double-blind trials of pharmaceutical-grade cannabis constituents are needed.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"field-name-body\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">The\u00a0<em>most\u00a0<\/em>consequential shift in cannabis policy in more than 50 years is now happening. A December 2025 executive order from\u00a0President Trump\u00a0has directed the federal government to down-schedule cannabis from Schedule I (illegal) to Schedule III (a lawful drug designation with a lower level of harm than Schedules I or II) . This is despite the alarming\u00a0<em>lack<\/em>\u00a0of research evidence\u00a0for medicinal cannabis.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"markup-replacement-slot markup-replacement-slot-0\" data-slot-position=\"0\"><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Rescheduling cannabis will provide significant tax advantages to the industry, allowing billions in previously banned business expense deductions that could hugely boost marketing efforts, research, or both. The executive order (EO) does not explicitly recognize cannabis as medicine. It also does not set national standards for cannabis labeling, dosages, or youth protection, all of which are essential.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"markup-replacement-slot markup-replacement-slot-1\" data-slot-position=\"1\"><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Whether you view the EO as long overdue or ill-advised, the key questions now are\u00a0<em>how<\/em>\u00a0this change will be implemented, who will control the downstream effects of cannabis, and whether public health experts or lobbyists seeking to accelerate commercial momentum will define what happens next.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Currently, any cannabis warning labels are inconsistent across states, often minimal, and frequently omit critical risks, such as mental health effects, breastfeeding harms, and other dangers stemming from high-potency cannabis products.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"markup-replacement-slot markup-replacement-slot-2\" data-slot-position=\"2\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"insertArea ck-widget\">\n<div class=\"image-article-inline-half\">\n<div class=\"insert-inner\">\n<div class=\"insert-image\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"image-article_inline_half_caption\" title=\"Dr Mark Gold \" src=\"https:\/\/cdn2.psychologytoday.com\/assets\/styles\/article_inline_half_caption\/public\/field_blog_entry_images\/2025-12\/Cannabis_Warning_Figure_cropped.jpg?itok=rnRJOp45\" alt=\"5 Examples of Warning Labels\" width=\"320\" height=\"181\" data-insert-type=\"image\" \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"caption\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">5 Examples of Warning Labels &#8211; <em><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">THIS NEEDS A BORDER AND ENLARGEMENT AND &#8216;PACKAG?? &#8211; H<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"insertArea--origin subtext\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Source: Dr Mark Gold<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">The executive order simultaneously instructs federal agencies\u2014particularly the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration\u2014to expand, streamline, and lower barriers to cannabis\/cannabinoid research.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Indeed, the now-history LSD-like Schedule I status of cannabis imposed hurdles to research. Nevertheless, considerable research has been done, even though a special license was necessary to use the drug in studies. However, rescheduling marijuana doesn\u2019t\u00a0<em>guarantee<\/em>\u00a0adequate research funding, FDA approval for cannabis, THC, or\u00a0CBD, or high-quality research.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"markup-replacement-slot markup-replacement-slot-3\" data-slot-position=\"3\"><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\"><strong>What Drug Experts Say<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Among the EO\u2019s most vocal critics is Kevin Sabet, drug policy expert who served both Republican and Democratic administrations and now president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, who sees the order as devoid of public health\u00a0wisdom. Sabet warns that rescheduling signals medical endorsement despite cannabis\u2019s association with significant health risks, especially for young users. Sabet highlights that the EO moves cannabis from Schedule I (not legal) to Schedule III (controlled but legal), although the medicinal effects of cannabis have never been FDA-proven or approved.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"markup-replacement-slot markup-replacement-slot-4\" data-slot-position=\"4\"><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Harvard\u2019s Kevin Hill, M.D., supports rescheduling for improving research facilitation, arguing that current cannabis use lacks clinical guidance. He emphasizes funding as crucial for quality research. Hill \u2018s position is pragmatic: Lack of scientific certainty is not a reason to avoid research\u2014it\u2019s the reason research is needed.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"markup-replacement-slot markup-replacement-slot-5\" data-slot-position=\"5\"><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Hill also places responsibility for research funding on states and industry. Legal cannabis markets generate billions in revenue, yet only a fraction is reinvested in rigorous research, prevention, or treatment. Ethical stewardship, he argues, demands that those profiting from cannabis bear responsibility for understanding its risks and benefits.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"markup-replacement-slot markup-replacement-slot-6\" data-slot-position=\"6\"><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Thirty percent of cannabis users, including adolescents, develop a substance use disorder, according to Mt Sinai School of Medicine\u2019s Dr. Yasmin Hurd. She emphasizes the importance of pairing research expansion with clear regulations to avoid exacerbating risks linked with cannabis.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">A crucial area for future research is safe and effective dosing of THC (the intoxicant in cannabis) amid imminently rising sales of high-potency products. Large-scale, longitudinal studies tracking neurodevelopmental outcomes in relation to timing and potency of cannabis exposure are essential.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"markup-replacement-slot markup-replacement-slot-7\" data-slot-position=\"7\"><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">At the same time, policymakers face a proliferation of unregulated intoxicating cannabinoids sold outside state-licensed cannabis systems. Products such as delta-8 and other synthetic or semi-synthetic cannabinoids are widely available in gas stations and convenience stores, often with minimal oversight. These products disproportionately attract youth, undermining consumer safety. Closing loopholes has become a public-health necessity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\"><strong>Recognizing the Rising Risks<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Some media reports suggest the EO was pushed through despite vociferous objections highlighting the risks of cannabis use among adolescents and young adults. The link between early-age cannabis exposure and increased risk of schizophrenia, mood disorders, and long-term functional impairment is no longer speculative. The disorders carry lifelong healthcare, social, and economic costs. Yet current data are insufficient to guide prevention efforts. Without guidelines, prevention efforts will remain reactive and politically vulnerable. Nowhere are the stakes higher than among adolescents and young adults.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"markup-replacement-slot markup-replacement-slot-9\" data-slot-position=\"9\"><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">One of the nation&#8217;s leading scientists and long-time vocal opponents of legalizing cannabis, Yale&#8217;s Deepak D&#8217;Souza, M.D., has focused on the increasing amount of cannabis, its increased potency, frequency of use, and duration of effects, causing severe consequences in young people. Cannabis and some of its constituents produce acute impairments in\u00a0memory,\u00a0attention,\u00a0executive function, impulsivity and\u00a0risk-taking\u00a0behaviour, and psychomotor coordination, critical for driving a car. Nora Volkow, M.D., director of the National Institute for\u00a0Drug Abuse\u00a0(NIDA) has underscored the need for balanced research, acknowledging both benefits and risks of cannabis.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"markup-replacement-slot markup-replacement-slot-10\" data-slot-position=\"10\"><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Dose is another urgent research priority, since higher THC concentrations are associated with increased risks of\u00a0psychosis, cannabis use disorder, cardiovascular events, and cognitive impairment. More isn\u2019t always better. A post-rescheduling agenda should include an investigation into\u00a0<em>minimum effective doses<\/em>, upper safety thresholds, and the feasibility of reducing THC concentrations while preserving potential therapeutic effects.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"markup-replacement-slot markup-replacement-slot-11\" data-slot-position=\"11\"><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Since rescheduling will be interpreted as an implicit medical endorsement, regardless of official intent, a national, evidence-based prevention strategy is needed, modeled on successful tobacco-control frameworks Such a strategy needs to include school-based\u00a0education, clinician training, parental guidance, and public-health messaging that\u2019s scientifically grounded rather than moralistic\/alarmist.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"markup-replacement-slot markup-replacement-slot-12\" data-slot-position=\"12\"><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Federal consumer protection agencies need to become empowered to monitor misleading cannabis\u00a0advertising.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Finally, the integrity of emerging research depends on maintaining a firewall between scientific inquiry and commercial influence. Industry participation in research isn\u2019t inherently problematic, but it must be governed by transparency, independent oversight, and conflict-of-interest safeguards.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"markup-replacement-slot markup-replacement-slot-13\" data-slot-position=\"13\"><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\"><strong>Acceptance Without Complacency<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">The December 2025 executive order is now a reality. There is likely to be a huge cash infusion without regulation, causing a commercialization boom in cannabis, with the potential to harm our youth more than ever. Industry needs to step up and fund academic research.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Youth protection and guardrails are indispensable. A good start would be warning labels, funding of prevention efforts directed toward teens and young adults, and increasing NIDA\u2019s funding for cannabis\/THC\/CBD translational research .<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"markup-replacement-slot markup-replacement-slot-14\" data-slot-position=\"14\"><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">If cannabis products remain legal and available, consumers need clear, standardized warnings reflecting the best available evidence on cannabis use disorder and psychosis risk; impaired driving; memory effects; and adolescent brain vulnerability. Public health warnings should not be optional, nor diluted by marketing language implying medical endorsement where none exists.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Source: https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/au\/blog\/addiction-outlook\/202512\/marijuana-rescheduling-is-now-real<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>psychology today &nbsp; by\u00a0\u00a0Mark S. Gold M.D. &#8211;\u00a0Addiction Outlook &#8211;\u00a0Posted\u00a0December 26, 2025\u00a0 &nbsp; The change was made despite lack of evidence of medicinal benefits. Key points President Trump directed federal agencies to expedite the process of reclassifying cannabis to Schedule III. Now what? Many actions are needed, including new research and protection of adolescents. Placebo-controlled, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,129,68,64,136,60,40,139,36,19,61],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20525","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cannabis-marijuana","category-culture","category-drug-use-various-effects","category-health","category-hemp","category-marijuana-and-medicine","category-prevention-research","category-strategy-and-policy","category-treatment-addiction","category-usa","category-youth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20525","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20525"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20525\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20538,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20525\/revisions\/20538"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20525"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20525"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20525"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}