An advisory committee over in the House run by Republicans is sounding the alarm about a banking bill and another marijuana bill that both have potential to pass.
However, their lens comes straight from the 90’s in their views of weed. They claim marijuana is a “gateway drug” and that it’s the reason for an uptick in violence in legalized states. They also refuted Kamala Harris’ claim that weed brought people joy by linking it to schizophrenia and other mental health disorders.
This is in response to the SAFE Banking Act that has long had bipartisan support, and the CURE Act that would allow federal employees security clearances despite past use of marijuana.
The committee’s recommendation will likely do nothing, as public support for marijuana has evolved significantly from the “gateway drug” days. When it comes to psychosis, there is some data that links high potency marijuana to a higher rate of psychotic breaks, but more research needs to be done and recreational marijuana is seemingly completely safe.
But let’s end the article with a paragraph from the committee’s report that sounds like it could have been written thirty years ago.
“Marijuana is a dangerous, addictive drug with no mechanism to control rouge producers from increasing potency and causing more harm. Rather than labeling marijuana as a recreational drug, it should be labeled for what it is—a gateway drug that increases schizophrenia and impairs cognitive ability.”
Read the GOP policy guide here.
