By Bill Current, Founder of the Current Consulting Group
Did you know the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) mission is to “enforce the controlled substances laws and regulations of the United States… and support non-enforcement programs aimed at reducing the availability of illicit controlled substances on the domestic and international markets?”
With that in mind, even a casual observer would find it strange and completely contrary to the DEA’s mission that on May 16, 2024, it officially proposed moving marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act. This is tantamount to legalizing marijuana at the federal level. Schedule III drugs can be prescribed legally by doctors and are not subject to the many restrictions placed on Schedule I substances, such as cocaine and heroin.
According to an article on the DEA’s website, it was President Biden who initiated this move:
“On Oct. 6, 2022, President Biden asked the Attorney General and the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to launch a scientific review of how marijuana is scheduled under federal law. After receiving HHS’s recommendations last August, the Attorney General sought the legal advice of the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) on questions relevant to this rulemaking. In light of HHS’ medical and scientific determinations, and OLC’s legal advice, the Attorney General exercised his authority under the law to initiate the rulemaking process to transfer marijuana to schedule III.”
There will be a public comment period during which anyone or any organization may submit their comments for or against this proposal. Once that period closes, the comments will be taken into consideration, and a final decision will be rendered. Is it possible to convince the DEA to abandon their misguided, poorly thought out, and utterly reckless proposal? Maybe, but not likely. After all. it’s an election year. and this may be more about winning votes than about doing what’s right for the country.
But all cynicism aside, making marijuana more accessible by moving it from Schedule I to Schedule III is a really bad idea. Let me count just some of the ways.
Marijuana is bad for relationships. According to Northpoint Colorado: “A drug-related disconnection between you and others can make communicating with your spouse or partner harder. It can also cause you to take harmful actions that you mistakenly believe are helping your relationship. Reduced energy and lower productivity can have a negative impact on your job performance. They can also make you less active on the home front. In turn, both of these issues can contribute to relationship problems. Recurring bouts of paranoia can erode trust in profound ways.”
“Some of the potential effects of weed on relationships are surprising. Many people believe that drug use increases feelings of acceptance and empathy. But in reality, heavy marijuana use can have the opposite effect. As such, it can make you colder and less tolerant, and as a result, it can reduce your ability to take your spouse or partner’s point of view seriously.”
Marijuana is bad for the brain. “Substantial evidence from animal research and a growing number of studies in humans indicate that marijuana exposure during development can cause long-term or possibly permanent adverse changes in the brain.”
Marijuana is bad for your heart. “Limited evidence suggests that a person’s risk of heart attack during the first hour after smoking marijuana is nearly five times his or her usual risk. This observation could be partly explained by marijuana raising blood pressure (in some cases) and heart rate and reducing the blood’s capacity to carry oxygen.”
Marijuana is bad for mental health. “Considerable—though not all—evidence has linked cannabis use to earlier onset of psychosis in people with genetic risk factors for psychotic disorders, including schizophrenia, as well as worse symptoms in people who already have these conditions. Although less consistent, there is also evidence linking cannabis use to other mental illnesses and self-harm, including suicidal thoughts and behaviors.”
Marijuana is bad for the workplace in so many ways. In a 2024 survey of drug testing providers conducted by the Current Consulting Group (CCG) and co-sponsored by NDASA, 43% said they have had clients discontinue testing for marijuana. The number one reason for dropping marijuana was employers felt it made it harder to find people to hire. Yet, failing to screen job applicants for marijuana means hiring more marijuana users – and hiring more marijuana users means unsafe workplaces.
In the CCG survey, when asked if dropping marijuana from a company’s drug-test panel encourages employees to consume marijuana before work, 59% said yes, and only 14% said no. This aligns with the results of a 2024 survey of employed marijuana users in which 31% said they use marijuana while on the way to work, and 48% said they use pot at work, including during breaks and while they’re actually on the job. In other words, they’re showing up high and probably unfit for duty. The report also found that 60% of survey participants work for companies that do not conduct drug tests.
Predictably, drug-related workplace accidents are on the rise. According to the 2024 Drug Testing Index from Quest Diagnostics, “In 2023, post-accident marijuana positivity of urine drug tests in the general U.S. workforce was 7.5%. The new peak follows a steady increase in post-accident marijuana positivity every year from 2015 to 2023. In that nine-year time frame, post-accident marijuana positivity increased 114.3%.”
Without drug testing to help enforce drug-free workplace policies, drug-using employees have free reign over the workplace. According to one large provider of employee screening services, “When post-accident drug positivity for clients who do pre-employment drug screening is compared to that of clients who do not, the rate of change is pronounced. Clients who performed pre-employment drug screening experienced a 17% increase in post-accident positivity rates from 2019 to 2020; meanwhile, clients who did not perform pre-employment drug screening saw their post-accident rates more than double from 2019 to 2020.”
Conclusion
Why would anyone who cares about the health, safety, and well-being of others favor the legalization of marijuana? It defies logic, it ignores the science, and it invites chaos.
And, it may not be obvious to everyone, but marijuana is the proverbial “Trojan Horse.” For the proponents of marijuana legalization, it never has been about just marijuana. In reality, it always has been about legalizing all illicit, dangerous drugs, including cocaine, heroin, and other substances that contribute significantly to the destruction of families, marriages, and young lives.
Rescheduling marijuana doesn’t make sense unless you look at it within the context of an election year. But that doesn’t mean you have to take it without voicing your opposition.
The Current Consulting Group offers a comprehensive, regularly updated on-line database of state drug testing laws through an online subscription service available through NDASA. Visit CurrentCompliance.org and make sure to mention NDASA to receive a special discounted rate.