“America does not have a marijuana crisis. It has a knowledge deficit, a training deficit and a regulatory deficit layered on top of decades of stigma.”
By Jill Simonian and Codi Peterson, Pharmacists’ Cannabis Coalition of California
The New York Times editorial board recently warned that America now faces a “marijuana problem,” suggesting that legalization has produced a public health crisis. That framing is misleading, and in contrast to that very same board’s previous recommendation.
The piece’s headline collapses a complicated medical and regulatory landscape into an all-too-familiar story about excess and loss of control—and in doing so risks reversing years of evidence-based progress in drug policy, clinical practice, social equity and patient education.
Contrary to the impression created by the Times editorial, federal cannabis policy has not meaningfully loosened. Cannabis remains classified as a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act, where it has been for over 50 years.
In 2024, federal health agencies formally acknowledged that cannabis has accepted medical use and recommended reclassification to Schedule III. That process stalled before completion and now sits with the Department of Justice, where no action has occurred. Research remains tightly restricted, prescribing remains impossible and clinical integration remains highly
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