(WASHINGTON, DC) – Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and the Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions (FDPS) President Dr. Kevin Sabet, a former White House drug policy advisor to Presidents Obama, Bush, and Clinton, released the following statement today in response to the Biden Administration’s budget request. Two key highlights as it relates to marijuana policy 1) the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy’s budget request discusses the harms of marijuana legalization, stating, “Traffickers and DTOs source the majority of marijuana and THC products from Colorado and West Coast states that have legalized the recreational and/or medical use of marijuana and related products,” and “black-market marijuana continues to thrive virtually uncontrolled.” 2) The White House maintains two anti-marijuana riders, the Harris Rider, which prevents recreational marijuana sales in Washington, D.C., as well as Section 508, which prohibits funding for the promotion of Schedule 1 drug legalization.
The Administration also requested billions to combat opioid and fentanyl trafficking; $1.6 billion to expand substance use prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and recovery support services; and $90 million to support Drug Courts, among other highlights.
“President Biden should be applauded for recognizing the harms and failures of state-level marijuana legalization, maintaining Congressional riders preventing further commercialization, and for putting forward a budget request that allocates significant resources to fight the overdose epidemic that’s ravaging the nation and combat trafficking of illicit drugs. Whether through the illicit market or the so-called ‘state-legal’ markets, sales of mind-altering psychoactive drugs have become a multi-billion-dollar industry and that’s bad for public health and safety. President Biden’s budget also calls for greater funding overall for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) at a time when its mission is critically important, a position we strongly support.
“Industry influence has loomed large over the push to review marijuana’s federal status, and it is clear from this budget those influences continue to apply significant pressure the Administration. Medical and scientific studies, as well as government data, have conclusively linked THC with addiction, psychosis, schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, suicidality, and IQ loss, among other impacts. The Biden Administration must make it clear that politics and deep-pocketed donors aren’t outweighing the science and medical professionals to the detriment of our young people and minority communities. The addiction-for-profit industry has lobbied heavily to sell demonstrably harmful products and any politically motivated rescheduling decision will simply drive more misinformation about the harms associated with today’s high-potency drugs.
“We also continue to urge Congress and the Administration to re-elevate the ONDCP Director to cabinet-level status. By making meaningful investments toward drug abuse prevention and empowering federal agencies with the resources necessary to combat the illicit drug trade, we can protect the public, especially the nation’s young people, from going down the road of Big Tobacco.”