U.S. Senators Jim Risch and Mike Crapo of Idaho, along with 20 other Republican senators, have sent a letter to President Donald Trump urging him not to reschedule marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III drug. This comes as President Trump is expected to sign an executive order that would change the classification of marijuana.
The senators wrote, “Rescheduling marijuana to a Schedule III drug will undermine your strong efforts to Make America Great Again and to usher in America’s next economic Golden Age. The only winners from rescheduling will be bad actors such as Communist China, while Americans will be left paying the bill.”
Currently, marijuana is classified as a Schedule I substance, which means it is considered to have a high potential for abuse and lacks approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The letter outlines several concerns about reclassifying marijuana. These include the harm it can cause users—especially young people and pregnant or nursing women—the risks associated with impaired judgment leading to public safety issues on roads and in workplaces, and the potential for significant tax breaks for marijuana companies that could use those funds for marketing directed at children.
Senators joining Risch and Crapo in signing the letter include Jim Banks (R-Ind.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Roger Marshall (R-Kansas), Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Dave McCormick (R-Pa.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.).
