Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole (OK-4) and Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Andy Harris (MD-01) Lauded for Their Leadership
(WASHINGTON, DC) – Smart Approaches to Marijuana Action (SAM Action) President Dr. Kevin Sabet, a three-time White House drug policy advisor, released the following statement today after the House Appropriations Committee advanced the FY 2025 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies (Ag/FDA) Appropriations Act. The bill report includes language, put forward by Subcommittee Chairman Andy Harris (MD-1), that calls for an Inspector General report on the FDA’s recommendation to reschedule marijuana. The report language also encourages the FDA to research the negative impacts of high-potency marijuana and its impact on young brains, addiction, and mental illness like psychosis and schizophrenia. The base text of the bill includes language, championed by Rep. Mary Miller (IL-15) and passed previously in the Farm Bill, that would close the Delta-8 THC loophole.
“Yesterday’s vote is the second major victory against the addiction-for-profit industry this week. While Big Marijuana continues predatory campaign to hook a new generation of users, lawmakers in the House have rightly seen through the misinformation and acted to protect our nation’s young people and those suffering from addiction.”
“It’s clear the only explanation for FDA’s recommendation is that the rescheduling process has been tainted by politics from the start. An Inspector General’s report is something everyone who cares about our youth should welcome. We need science and health to guide our drug policies, not politics. Yesterday’s vote by the House Appropriations Committee could go a long way toward righting the course of public policy.”
“Expanding federal research on the negative impacts of marijuana is crucial to furthering our understanding of just how dangerous today’s high-potency pot is. This appropriations bill’s report language dispels of the myth that marijuana cannot be researched as a Schedule I drug. Congress is not requesting that FDA conduct research they cannot already do.”
“Addressing the Delta-8 crisis is also critical. Because Delta-8 THC is virtually identical to Delta-9 THC, the addiction industry has created a massive market for unregulated drugs that exploits the legal gray areas to hook new users using dangerous THC edibles, vapes and other products. These dangerous, psychoactive drugs carry similar risks including addiction, psychosis. The rampant spread of Delta-8 THC has been a recipe for disaster that has hospitalized people across the nation and fueled a rise in addiction and substance use disorder. Worst of all, it is fueling a dangerous perception among our nation’s youth that THC drugs and marijuana are safe and even ‘recreation.’”
“We thank House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, Subcommittee Chairman Andy Harris, and all the members of the committee who voted in favor of restoring sense and sanity to the nation’s drug policy. The Committee taken a tremendous stand that will reverberate in America’s communities for years to come.”