WE CANNOT CHANGE THE PAST, BUT WE CAN SHAPE A BETTER FUTURE LET’S RISE AND CHANGE THE CLASSIFICATION OF CANNABIS

Thanks, Dick! The Unjust Legacy of Nixon's Controlled Substances Act By Ben Kovler, CEO and Chairman, Green Thumb Industries and RISE Dispensaries

It is time our society confronts the disastrous impact of President Richard Nixon’s 1970 Controlled Substances Act and works towards undoing the harm it has caused. Originally hailed as a righteous crusade on drugs, the policy has proven to be a politically motivated failure that continues to haunt us today. Decades of evidence and damning revelations have exposed this ill-conceived legislation and its devastating effect on individuals and communities nationwide. Thankfully, there is a solution at our fingertips.

It is crucial to acknowledge Nixon’s role in catalyzing both the ridiculous treatment of cannabis under the Controlled Substances Act and the ill-fated War on Drugs—actions not driven by a genuine concern for public welfare but by political motivations that have created far-reaching consequences. Nixon’s administration targeted specific groups and individuals, disproportionately affecting communities deemed threats to his political agenda, namely people of color and those against the Vietnam War. John Ehrlichman, a top aide to Nixon, candidly admitted in an interview published in 2016 that the War on Drugs was deliberately designed to target Black people and "hippies."

After temporarily categorizing marijuana as a Schedule I narcotic, the most restrictive category of drugs, Nixon initiated a review led by Republican Pennsylvania Governor Raymond Shafer. Unsurprisingly, the Shafer Commission unanimously recommended decriminalizing the possession and distribution of marijuana for personal use in 1972. Despite clear advice to decriminalize cannabis, Nixon callously ignored the report and rejected its recommendations, further perpetuating the harmful cycle of prohibition.

To this day, our criminal justice system remains burdened by the consequences of Nixon’s targeted policies. Police make over 1.5 million drug arrests yearly, and shockingly, nearly half a million of those individuals end up in jail for nothing more than a drug law violation. The glaring truth is that people of color bear the brunt of drug enforcement and sentencing practices, despite drug use and sales rates being comparable across racial and ethnic lines.

In the decades following its enactment, the United States has squandered $1 trillion fighting a war against itself by enforcing the War on Drugs under the Controlled Substances Act with nothing to show for it. Instead, skyrocketing incarceration rates have torn families apart and perpetuated a vicious cycle of imprisonment, unemployment, and family separation. While Nixon created the War on Drugs, subsequent administrations have done little to address this resounding policy failure, even in light of decades of evidence showing these laws have done more harm than good.

Contrary to political theatre and rhetoric, the economic and social benefits of cannabis legalization at the state level are remarkable. Now, 38 states, three U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia have legalized medical cannabis, allowing citizens to reap the plant's many benefits. According to a Harvard Medical article, patients report the benefits of CBD and medical cannabis in improving their quality of life and relieving common conditions such as anxiety, insomnia, spasticity, and pain.

States that have embraced cannabis legalization, whether medical or adult use, enjoy notable economic advantages, including direct tax revenues that bolster state budgets. In 2022, states reported over $3.77 billion in tax revenue from legal adult-use cannabis sales, demonstrating the tremendous economic potential of a regulated and taxed cannabis market. On the employment front, the legal cannabis industry has created hundreds of thousands of jobs to regulate and oversee production, distribution, and management. As of 2022, the cannabis industry supported over 428,000 full-time jobs.

Legalizing adult-use cannabis has also been shown to reduce the demand for costly prescription drugs through state Medicaid programs. An analysis conducted by researchers from Cornell University and Indiana University revealed "significant reductions in the volume of prescriptions within the drug classes that align with the medical indications for pain, depression, anxiety, sleep, psychosis, and seizures" in states that had enacted legalization of cannabis compared to those that had not.

In light of these revelations on historical wrongs and the current state of cannabis, it is time to heed the Biden administration’s call to take swift action. We applaud the President of the United States for taking historic steps to review cannabis scheduling. This process must be “expeditious” as he directed, and it must result in meaningful scheduling reform and progress towards legalizing cannabis federally. The legal cannabis industry should no longer be considered federally illegal. Over 400,000 full-time workers deemed felons in the eyes of Uncle Sam makes no sense. The evidence is mounting: it is essential to abandon the antiquated and harmful policies within the Controlled Substances Act, which have done nothing but squander resources and perpetuate social injustice.

We cannot change the past, but we can shape a better future. We can learn from our mistakes, rectify the damage caused by Nixon’s ill-conceived and targeted legislation and embrace a sensible, compassionate approach to cannabis. Let’s say ‘yes’ to well-being and an open mind to a better way. The voices calling for change grow louder daily, and we must listen.

Thanks, Dick, for the mess you left us. It’s high time we clean it up.

Ben Kovler Founder & Chief Executive Officer Green Thumb Industries

August 2023:

The Department of Health and Human Services recommends reclassifying cannabis from Schedule I to III, a significant step toward ending the War on Drugs. The FDA's acknowledgment of its medical benefits is inspiring, and we're excited about the potential impact it'll have on the industry.