OPINION:
President Trump recently announced he is considering rescheduling marijuana from a Schedule I drug to Schedule III. This would be huge. Marijuana is currently classified alongside meth and heroin as having “no accepted medical use,” but Mr. Trump can change the stigma that fails to reflect its proven benefits for so many Americans. By rescheduling, he will expand patient access and advance his “America First” agenda at a pivotal moment.
Research has shown that marijuana offers various health benefits, such as easing chronic pain and helping patients with multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s and more. It has proved especially effective in supporting veterans as they heal from physical and mental wounds of war. Rescheduling would reflect the progress our country has made in recognizing these benefits. It’s about listening to patients and doctors and ensuring that care is safe and accessible.
Rescheduling isn’t descheduling, and it isn’t about encouraging recreational use or opening more dispensaries. It’s about responsibly expanding medical access and research. Across America, families, doctors and veterans are speaking out to support reform. By moving marijuana to Schedule III, we can expand research, strengthen oversight and build a health care system that better serves the people who depend on it.
As a veteran, I know firsthand the pain of being prescribed addictive drugs after service-related injuries. I spent months taking myself off powerful narcotics given to me by doctors as I healed. Not all my friends could get off them. One former member of SEAL Team 6 was in a helicopter crash that resulted in catastrophic injuries. After countless surgeries, he became addicted to the opioids he was prescribed for sleep and pain management. After years of damage to himself and his family, it was cannabis that brought him back to the man and warrior we knew. I have many of these stories. In fact, in a survey of 510 veterans, 91% shared that cannabis improved their quality of life.
Because marijuana remains a Schedule I drug, Veterans Affairs doctors are barred from prescribing it as an option for treatment, even though it has been proved to help. The best way to honor our veterans is to ensure they have access to the most effective care possible. Keeping marijuana at Schedule I creates unnecessary barriers, denying veterans the treatments they need and deserve after sacrificing for our country. That’s also why I introduced the Veterans Equal Access Act, a policy passed in the House of Representatives this year. It’s a simple, straightforward piece of legislation that puts veterans and their doctors in control of their treatment. As a combat veteran and a co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, I’ll keep pushing to cut through all the red tape that blocks care.
Over the past decade, far from fueling an increase in use, regulated markets have helped drive this reduction by limiting unsafe, unmonitored access. Rescheduling would build on this success, strengthening oversight, protecting young people and ensuring cannabis is accessed safely, responsibly and legally.
I stand with Mr. Trump’s pledge to reschedule marijuana, a promise he reaffirmed during a recent press conference, recognizing its medical benefits and the opportunities it creates for jobs, medicine and research. Although these benefits alone would be a win for Americans, rescheduling would also protect Americans by curbing illicit markets and ensuring safer, regulated access. It would also free up more time and resources for law enforcement to do their job.
It’s time to help patients, veterans and consumers by removing marijuana from its outdated classification and moving forward with its rescheduling.
• Rep. Brian Mast is the U.S. representative for Florida’s 21st Congressional District.
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