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CatholicVote has launched a campaign to urge President Donald Trump to reject a potential move to loosen restrictions on marijuana.
“Rescheduling cannabis would falsely signal that it’s safe and medically proven, when it hasn’t gone through FDA approval or long-term safety studies,” Kelsey Reinhardt, CatholicVote president and CEO, told Fox News Digital in a statement.
“That’s exactly how America sleepwalked into the tobacco crisis – approve first, reckon later,” Reinhardt added. “We shouldn’t repeat that mistake. This isn’t about nostalgia or personal freedom; it’s about protecting public health, children, and communities from a drug that is already doing real harm. States like Massachusetts are now trying to reduce recreational use. It is only the $32 billion dollar for-profit marijuana industry that wants the president to ease restrictions even further. They are not interested in making life better for Americans, but only in growing their customer base and turning our children into life-long users of this highly addictive drug.”
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On Monday, Trump said he is considering reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug.
Marijuana is currently a Schedule I controlled substance under the Controlled Substances Act, which classifies it as a high-abuse drug without accepted medical use.
Trump is weighing reclassifying marijuana as a Schedule III drug, which would regulate it as a drug with only a moderate to low potential for abuse, and permitted for medical treatment, but with a potential for moderate to high psychological dependence. It would remain illegal for recreational use.
Trump said he is “considering” making marijuana a Schedule III drug and said, “A lot of people want to see it, the reclassification, because it leads to tremendous amounts of research that can’t be done unless you reclassify.”
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On Wednesday, CatholicVote launched a campaign to convince Trump to keep marijuana on Schedule I.
The page for the campaign calls marijuana a “dangerous” gateway drug and says that many users can become addicted. It added that it can create increased rates of psychosis, schizophrenia, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts, and is responsible for teen brain damage, diminished IQ, and stunted emotional development.
“Today’s marijuana is far more potent than in the past, and its long-term effects are still unfolding,” the CatholicVote campaign page reads. “Rescheduling it now would repeat the tragic history of Big Tobacco—approving first, paying later. People aren’t just getting high. They’re getting addicted, hospitalized, and harmed. Tell President Trump to stop the rescheduling of cannabis.”
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The page asks users to email Trump to ask him to reconsider his push to lessen marijuana restrictions.
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