marijuana

President Donald Trump signed an executive order yesterday directing the Department of Justice to start loosening legal restrictions on marijuana.

The order, titled “Increasing Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research,” opens the door for the federal government to reclassify marijuana from Schedule 1, a category of drugs which offer no medical benefit, to Schedule 3, a category of drugs which have “a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence.”

The president’s decision to deregulate marijuana reportedly follows more than a year — and several million dollars-worth — of lobbying by the cannabis industry, which promotes marijuana and CBD products for a plethora of medical conditions.

“The facts compel the federal government to recognize that marijuana can be legitimate in terms of medical applications when carefully administered,” President Trump said in defense of the order.

A recent, comprehensive UCLA analysis of marijuana research published between January 2010 and September 2025 found marijuana and CBD products effectively treat only a few medical conditions — specifically:

• Appetite loss caused by HIV/AIDS.
• Nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy.
• Some pediatric seizure disorders.

Beyond these ailments, the analysis concluded, evidence “does not support the use of cannabis or cannabinoids for most conditions for which it is promoted, such as acute pain and insomnia.”

Marijuana and CBD products shouldn’t be a first resort for treating medical conditions like pain, the UCLA report concluded, in part, because they can cause significant health problems.

The analysis links high-potency marijuana — marijuana with a 10% or higher concentration of delta9-THC, the chemical which makes people high — to significantly increased rates of psychosis and anxiety disorders.

Modern marijuana products contain an average THC concentration between 15% and 20%. Some products contain as much as 99% THC.

UCLA’s findings echo conclusions from several other studies, including:

• People who smoke high-THC marijuana daily are five times as likely to develop a psychotic disorder than those who don’t smoke (The Lancet; 2019).
• As many as one in 200 individuals who ingest marijuana experience cannabis-associated psychotic symptoms (Nature; 2024).
• A cannabis-induced psychotic episode has a 47% chance of triggering schizophrenia or bipolar disorder — a higher likelihood than psychotic episodes induced by alcohol, opioids, sedatives, cocaine and amphetamines (American Journal of Psychiatry; 2017).

Excessive marijuana use also causes physical problems.

UCLA’s analysis found daily, high-potency marijuana use correlated with higher rates of heart disease and greater risk of heart attack and stroke. People who use marijuana every day can also develop cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS), a condition causing debilitating nausea and vomiting which can be fatal if left untreated.

Though scientific evidence raises serious concerns about the mental and physical consequences of ingesting marijuana, Americans seem largely unaware of the attendant dangers.

The cannabis industry’s lies about marijuana’s “health benefits” make the truth difficult to discern.

“One of the most brilliant PR campaigns for marijuana was to push the word ‘medical’ in front of the word marijuana,” Dr. Kevin Sabet, the founder of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, told the Daily Citizen in 2021.

“It allowed people to have permission to be okay with marijuana because, not only is it not bad for you, but now it’s good for you.”

“I feel like [we were] duped into believing marijuana’s not addictive, [that] it’s just a plant, [that] it will cure your anxiety,” Jordan Davidson, a 22-year-old recovering marijuana addict, told The Wall Street Journal in 2023.

Davidson found himself addicted to the drug after using it to treat his anxiety.

A 2018 survey of people in North America found one in four reported using marijuana or CBD to treat anxiety, chronic pain and problems sleeping — all of which the cannabis industry falsely swears marijuana can treat.

As the United States moves toward further deregulating marijuana, parents must double down on busting these three common marijuana myths.

The cannabis industry claims marijuana is harmless. But more than two decades of evidence shows marijuana is physically and mentally dangerous.

The cannabis industry claims marijuana is natural. But manufacturers chemically modify today’s cannabis products to make them more potent.

The cannabis industry claims marijuana is not addictive. But it is — particularly at high concentrations of THC.

UCLA’s analysis estimates as many as 29% of people who use “medical” marijuana suffer from cannabis use disorder, meaning they cannot voluntarily stop using the drug.

A New York Times analysis of data from the 2022 U.S. Survey on Drug Use and Health determined one in three American adults who reported using marijuana daily or almost daily demonstrated symptoms of cannabis use disorder.

Of the nearly 4.5 million 18- to 25-year-olds who reported using cannabis daily or almost daily, more than four in five displayed signs of cannabis use disorder.

The grass is not greener on the other side of deregulating marijuana — regardless of the cannabis industry’s claims. The Daily Citizen prays Americans won’t have to find out the hard way.

Additional Articles and Resources

Focus’ Jim Daly to Pres. Trump: Strongly and Unequivocally Oppose Reclassification of Marijuana

Talking With Tweens About Marijuana

Talking With Your Teens About Drugs and Alcohol

Parents — Time to Tackle Marijuana Myths

THC-Laced Snacks Marketed to Kids, Hemp to Blame

Marijuana Causing Psychosis in Young People, Legacy Media Late to Party

The Vicious Truth About Drug Addiction and Alcoholism

How the Marijuana Industry is Campaigning to Hook Your Kids on a Drug that Will Damage their Brain

The Surgeon General Announces New Advisory on the Dangers of Marijuana for Pregnant Women and Adolescents

Federal Legalization of Marijuana Gains Steam. Here are the Downsides to Legalization.

Focus on the Family Resources for Mental Health

In recent days, President Donald Trump has indicated a willingness to reclassify marijuana from a ‘Schedule I controlled substance’ to a ‘Schedule III’ – a significant and troubling shift in American drug policy.

The Schedule I drug classification communicates the substance’s highly addictive and destructive nature. A new study that analyzed over 15 years of research found that use of marijuana is known to significantly increase episodes of psychosis and anxiety. Long seen as a “gateway drug,” it’s also often the starting point for many users who go on to struggle with a lifetime of broader and more extensive addiction.

Should President Trump downgrade marijuana to Schedule III, the substance would be in the same category as anabolic steroids and Tylenol with codeine.

Earlier this year, Mr. Trump acknowledged the strong opinions about the drug.

“Some people like it, some people hate it,” the president said. “Some people hate the whole concept of marijuana.”

It’s no wonder why.

Use of cannabis increases a person’s chance of developing a bipolar disorder or schizophrenia by an average of 47%. It’s also shown to significantly increase hallucinations and paranoia.

Should the president issue an executive order downgrading the drug, the Justice Department would then move to reschedule as recommended.

What’s the case for the reevaluation and reclassification?

Supporters are pushing for it because they contend it would make it easier to research the drug and presumably find new uses and benefits. Yet the most recent research has found that the hype surrounding the medical claims and benefits of marijuana are wildly overblown.

In fact, it’s been determined that regular use of medical marijuana leads to a higher chance of heart attack, stroke and coronary artery disease.

Not surprisingly, pro-pot companies are pouring money into the political coffers of representatives and urging them to support the reclassification of the drug.

Media reports indicate Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has urged the president to not reclassify the drug. An article in last week’s Washington Post suggested the Speaker shared his concerns via telephone but that he was rebuffed by several administration officials.

As a member of the House, Speaker Johnson’s opposition to both the decriminalization of marijuana and the expansion of pot access has been clear. Citing the distortion and abuse inside the industry, he’s opposed the Medical Marijuana Research Act and the Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act back in 2022.

Focus on the Family president Jim Daly has written to President Trump and urged him to not classify the drug. “Having lived in Colorado, one of the early states to legalize pot, I can attest to its harm,” Daly noted Monday.

In a letter delivered to President Trump last week, Jim Daly urged:

President Biden was considering a similar reclassification but ultimately decided against doing so.

Loosening federal restrictions on marijuana is a bad idea that threatens and hurts the health of the very people in purports to help. If the established goal is to make America healthy and great again, this objective will not be reached by increasing access to poisonous pot.