White House Reclassifies Marijuana
On Dec. 18, Dr. Nora Volkow—director of NIH’s National Institute on Drug Abuse—joined the President and other members of the Administration in a press conference announcing an Executive Order to reschedule marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act. This new classification will facilitate cannabis research, noted Volkow.
Cannabis research is a priority for NIH and in particular for NIDA as cannabis is one of the most commonly used drugs by adolescents, with 26% of 12th graders reporting use in the last year. Fetal, childhood and adolescent development are critical periods for brain development and are particularly vulnerable to the effects of cannabis and other drugs.
No amount of cannabis use is known to be safe during pregnancy or childhood and adolescence, and there is a crucial need for preventive interventions for pregnant women and young people. Moreover, approximately 20-30% of people who use cannabis develop a cannabis use disorder, and there are currently no FDA-approved medications to treat it.
In 2024, NIH invested $21.7 million in cannabinoid research. One significant effort is the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, a longitudinal study following 10,000 young people from adolescence to young adulthood that is elucidating the impact of adolescent cannabis and other drug use and health outcomes to inform prevention interventions.